Return of Ganondorf
by wmacelheran
Summary: Set after Ocarina of Time. Follow the adventure of Link's son. I apologize for not posting stories in a while. Been extremely busy.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Many years ago, the land of Hyrule was threatened with destruction by an evil sorcerer of the desert named Ganondorf. After placing a curse on the guardian of the forest, the Great Deku Tree summoned a young boy, Link, to break the curse. Accomplishing his mission, the Great Deku Tree gave Link one of three Spiritual Stones. Before perishing, the Deku Tree sends Link to Hyrule Castle to meet the princess, Zelda, and find the other Spiritual Stones.

Link, after meeting the princess and learning a song on his ocarina to prove his connection to the Royal Family, travels to Death Mountain and Zora's River to recover the Spiritual Stones hidden there. Upon returning to the Castle, Link witnesses Princess Zelda and her attendant fleeing the castle. Seeing Link, Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time to him, though it falls in the moat. After they disappear, Link is confronted by Ganondorf. Ganondorf is pursuing Zelda to be able to open the sacred Door of Time and enter the Sacred Realm of legend.

After Ganondorf rides off after Zelda, Link recovers the Ocarina of Time and receives a telepathic message from Zelda. She teaches him the Song of Time, which he uses to open the Door of Time inside the Temple of Time, which leads to a chamber holding the blade of the Hero of Time, the Master Sword. Much to his surprise, Link manages to pull the sword from its stone and open the way to the Sacred Realm. However, Ganondorf has doubled back and followed Link into the Realm.

Link, being too young to wield the Master Sword, was sealed in the Sacred Realm. Seven years later, he awakens in the Chamber of Sages, deep within the Sacred Realm. After learning of his destiny to become the Hero of Time from the ancient Sage of Light, Rauru, Link returns to Hyrule. After meeting the mysterious Sheik of the Sheikah people. Sheik sets Link in the right direction, and he heads out to awaken the five dormant Sages who reside in the five temples scattered across Hyrule.

After successfully navigating the Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow, and Spirit Temples, meeting new and old friends, gaining an arsenal of weapons, and awakening the five Sages, Link heads back to the Temple of Time. He runs into Sheik, who reveals himself as the missing Princess Zelda. After giving Link the legendary Light Arrows, Zelda tells Link that Ganondorf has become the King of Evil with the help of the Triforce of Power. The other two pieces of the Triforce, Wisdom and Courage, were held by them. Zelda held the Wisdom piece, and Link held Courage. After learning this, Link witnesses Zelda get captured by Ganondorf.

Link rushes to Ganondorf's castle, which now stands in the place of Hyrule Castle. With the Sages help, Link enters the evil fortress, battles through six rooms to break the seal on the inner staircase, and charges up to the topmost chamber for a showdown with the King.

Using the Master Sword, Link manages to reflect the evil king's spells back at him to stun him, then uses Light Arrows and the Master Sword to subdue him. In a final attempt to destroy Link and Zelda, Ganondorf causes the castle to start collapsing.

In a mad dash, the two make it to safety just as the castle is leveled. Ganondorf seems defeated, until he rises up, using the Triforce of Power to become the monstrous Ganon. Wielding two large blades, Ganon manages to knock the Master Sword out of Link's hands, causing it to land next to Zelda, who gets left out of the battle by a wall of fire.

Using his Light Arrows and some of his other weapons, Link manages to weaken Ganon enough to lower the fire, retrieve the Master Sword, and allow Zelda to pin Ganon. With the help of the Sages, Link administers the final blow, sealing Ganon in the Evil Realm forever; or so they hope.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1- Son of a Legend**

Twenty years had passed since then. The Master Sword was returned to its pedestal to further provide protection against Ganon's return, and Link, not able to return to Kokiri forest, lived in Hyrule castle those years. At the end of that time, the King passed away, allowing Zelda to assume the throne.

Many people believed that Link would be at the queen's side, for they had been never been seen apart, but on that day, Link took a back row seat. Few knew he had even attended the new queen's coronation; one who did was Zelda herself. She saw him as the ceremony was ending. He was in the upper balcony, partially hidden in shadow. A few weeks later, Link moved into an apartment in the Castle Town.

Almost a year passed, and the queen announced she had given birth to a baby girl. Many speculated that this was also the child of Link, but no one could confirm it. Link was spotted heading to castle a few days later, and he returned carrying a bundle in his arms, which he immediately took out of the city. This began a rumor that the queen had also had a baby boy, but again, the lack of evidence caused it to become a mere rumor.

Link returned to his apartment and began work as a Hyrulian knight. Whenever the time came for requests of transfer, Link always made his for the town gates. He lived alone, and only came out for work or to deliver a letter. "Inside sources" told the pub goers that some of these letters went to the castle, and replies came soon after, but most of Link's correspondents seemed to dwell outside the walls of the town. The Pubbers, as they were known, believed that Link and Zelda had had a falling out, though they kept in contact as friends. What the townsfolk didn't know was that the couple had an entirely different reason for putting distance between them.

Tristan watched as his fellow Kokiri played around their tree houses. He was sitting on a ledge up above Mido's, the self proclaimed leader of the Kokiri, house. Behind him opened the tree trunk that led to the Lost Woods. He was waiting for Saria, his best friend, to come back. She had been gone a full week, but that didn't lower Tristan's spirits. He sat on the ledge with a flat piece of wood, some parchment, and some charcoal, and continued drawing. He did this every evening, and always before dinner.

Looking up, he saw the sun was getting pretty low. He picked up his things and put them in his bag, and climbed down to join his friends for dinner. For as long as he could remember, Tristan and the other Kokiri ate at a long table that was brought out at meal times, but Saria had told him it had not always been this way. The young Deku Tree had imposed this new tradition to allow the Kokiri to remain close friends.

The only Kokiri that didn't like this tradition was Mido, because it meant he had to be around Tristan, whom he thought inferior as Tristan still had no fairy. This oddity, and Tristan's appearance also reminded Mido of another boy who had lived in Kokiri Forest, and he turned out not even to be a Kokiri at all. Even though the Deku Tree had granted that boy a fairy, Mido still didn't like him. It was the same with Tristan. Secretly, Mido thought Tristan was a Hylian as well.

Once he was done eating, Tristan climbed the ladder to the house the other boy Mido disliked had once lived in. Pushing back the curtain, he placed his bag on the stump that served as a table and lay down on the bed. He was just getting to the good part in one of several recurring dreams he had been having, when a high pitched voice awoke him.

"Tristan? Come on Tristan wake up!"

Tristan opened his eyes to see a fairy hovering nearby, it's green color causing Tristan to jump up in surprise.

"You're Saria's fairy!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, and now that your finally awake, I need you to come with me. Saria's waiting just inside the Lost Woods."

As Tristan was about to exit the house, something caused him to pull down the only sword in the forest, the Kokiri Sword, from the wall and strap it to his back. When he reached the ground, he noticed that Saria's fairy was already halfway to the entrance of the Lost Woods. Running to catch up, Tristan managed to reach the ledge in record time. Saria ran out of the tunnel and embraced him. Tristan returned it, remembering the last time he had hugged her, then let go quickly. He had just seen someone else step out of the forest, and he was no Kokiri, it was obvious that he was a full grown Hylian. Saria took Tristan's hand and began to pull him toward the stranger.

"S-saria?" Tristan began to ask.

"Don't worry," she replied, "He's a friend, a good friend. I knew him a long time ago. Right Link?"

They were now standing in front of the Hylian. The name Link struck something in Tristan's memory.

"That's right Saria," The Hylian replied. "It's good to be home."

"I know you," Tristan managed to say.

"Is that so?" Link responded.

"Where's Navi?"

This question took Link by surprise. For Tristan had never met Link, yet how did he know of the fairy?

"Navi is currently speaking to the Great Deku Tree."

"Are you ok? You look sick." Saria asked.

"I'm not doing very well," Link responded, "can we go inside? I can make it down from the ledge, but after that, I won't be able to climb anything."

"We'll go to my house then," Saria said. The trio made their way down the hill, and to Saria's house, Link stumbling every now and then. They reached the house with no problem, but as they were entering, Link dropped to his knees and it took both Saria and Tristan to drag him to the bed.

After removing his shield and his bandolier, Tristan thought it odd for Link to have no sword, they helped him lay down. In the light, Tristan saw the legendary hero was sweating non-stop, though nights in the forest were pretty chilly.

"What's wrong sir?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, what brought you back after all these years?" Saria asked.

"Easy, easy," Link groaned, "slow down, or I won't be able to keep up. I was sent by Her Majesty, Queen Zelda."

"Zelda?" Saria asked. "How's she doing?"

"She is doing well. However, trouble is brewing. There is evil gathering once again, deep within the desert, farther than the Spirit Temple. The Queen felt it gathering, and summoned me to aid her."

"What does all this have to do with you being here?"

"I was getting to that. I am no longer able to help the Queen. When she summoned me, I had become very sick. Even the old hag in Kakariko City couldn't make a medicine for me. So the Queen formed a new plan, I was to come here and retrieve the one that does not belong, and send him to the castle to meet with her."

"The one that does not belong?" asked Saria's fairy.

"He means me," Tristan said, his head bowed. "Right?"

"Yes, I do my son."

Tristan recoiled so hard, he backed into the wall and fell forward; Saria caught him before he hit the floor.

"What do you mean 'son'?" Tristan gasped.

"Ten years ago, when you were born, I held a meeting with the Queen. I asked her whether or not the people should know that the Hero of Time had had a son. We both agreed that it was a bad idea. Some of Ganondorf's supporters were still trying to kill me, and if they found out I had a son, it would have been my undoing. They would have used you as bait to lure me out and dispose of me. I brought you here and entrusted you to the Deku Tree, as my mother had done before me."

"That's why you were here ten years ago," Saria said.

"Yes. My son, Tristan, you must leave the forest and head to Hyrule Castle. In my bag is some equipment you'll find useful. The bag is just outside the forest, hidden in the first bush you see. First, we must await Navi's return, in fact, she's a little late."

"No I'm not," said a blue fairy hovering above them. "I was just waiting for the right moment to interrupt."

"Polite as always. What did the Deku Tree say?

"He understands perfectly. He too has felt the evil growing. Tristan is to meet him in the morning. That will give him the time he needs to find one suitable."

"Very good. Did you hear that Tristan?"

"Yes… Father."

"I know it's hard to grasp, but do not deny the truth. The sooner you accept it, the better you will be. My son, listen carefully to my instructions. First, come closer, it's getting harder for me to speak."

Both Tristan and Saria came and sat on the floor next to the bed. From this distance, Tristan could clearly see the resemblance between himself and his father.

"When you leave this forest, you should head west. There you will find a ranch called…"

"Lon Lon Ranch."

"How in the name of Din do you know that? You've never left the forest."

"I know your whole adventure. Up till you defeated Ganon. I've seen the whole thing in my dreams."

"It seems you've inherited one of your mother's abilities. I can say no more on that, it is forbidden for me to. That knowledge you will learn in time. Yes, when you  
leave the forest, head to Lon Lon Ranch. There, you should meet Malon, the ranch head. She will supply you with a horse, for Hyrule Castle is some distance on foot. When you attempt to enter the castle itself, the guards will attempt to stop you. In the bag with your equipment is a letter from the Queen, hand it to any guard who stops you and they will let you pass. The Queen will give you further information.

"My time grows short. I will die soon, for this sickness has worsened. Do me a favor and bury me here in the Forest. It's where I grew up and is where I want to end my adventures. Go rest now. Saria, go with him. When he leaves, you will need to go to the Forest Temple. Rauru will meet you there. Tristan, say goodbye to the Queen and the Princess for me."

"Father…"

"Do not worry my son. I'm sorry we didn't spend much time together."

"It's okay. I'm just glad to have been able to meet you."

"As was I. Good bye Saria… it was good seeing you one last time… good bye my son… don't fail me."

"Good bye… Father."

"Good bye… Hero of Time."

With that, Link, the legendary Hero of Time, shut his eyes and passed on. His fairy, Navi, fluttered down on the pillow, and died with him, as was the tradition of a fairy and its partner. Tristan and Saria stood for a moment, holding hands and watching as the room grew darker of its own accord. Then they walked out. Tristan stopped and sat down just outside the door and buried his face in his hands. Saria knelt down next to him.

"It's okay Tristan. I know it's hard," Saria said, putting her arm around him.

Tristan looked up at her and Saria was surprised to see that no tears were in his eyes. "I know. But to think that my dad was the Hero of Time. I wonder if that also makes me the Hero as well."

"It's a possibility. Come on, let's get some rest. We'll need to bury him before the others wake up. Then you should get your equipment, Mido probably won't let you through unless you're fully equipped."

"Then I can see the Deku Tree. Would you mind coming with me?"

"Not at all."

With that settled, Saria took Tristan's hand and they walked to his tree house. Before going to bed, Saria did something she had never done before, and kissed Tristan on the cheek. For that Tristan gave her the bed, though she thought he was just being friendly.

The two woke before the sun rose the next morning and buried Link behind his old home, which Tristan now lived in. The sun still hadn't risen when they were finished, which allowed Tristan time to fetch the bag. When he reached the end of the tunnel that led to the outside world, he stopped to marvel at the vastness of it. Then he spotted the bag, grabbed it, and ran back into the forest. He entered his house, and with Saria's help, pulled out the contents.

It was like opening presents in the winter. In the bag they found a new sword with a note saying the Kokiri sword should stay in the forest. There was a shield made of metal that Tristan recognized as the one Link had when he had stumbled across the realm of Termina. They found a boomerang, a slingshot with some ammo, and bow and quiver that was just the right length for Tristan, a small gold bracelet Tristan recognized as the Goron bracelet, which allowed him to pull bomb flowers, a bag of rupees which totaled out to two hundred "to get you started" as the note said, and the letter from the Queen.

"All of this belonged to my dad when he was younger," Tristan explained. "I recognize all of it from the dreams I've had."

"Well, you sure will be well equipped," Saria said, a giggle working its way out.

"No kidding."

With Saria's help, Tristan strapped everything on and they walked outside. They climbed down the ladder and headed over to the entrance to the Deku Tree's clearing. As Saria expected, Mido rushed out of his house and stopped in the entrance as Tristan and Saria approached.

"Whoa, hold on there Mr. No Fairy!" Mido said. "I can't let you pass with out the right gear!"

"You mean these?" Tristan asked, grabbing the shield with his left hand and pulling out the sword, which was a little longer than the Kokiri sword, with his right.

"Err… yeah, those," Mido said. "But you're missing one more thing."

Tristan swung the sword and brought it to a stop pointing at Mido's throat. "Lemme through Mido. No one cares if I have a fairy or not."

"MIDO!" came a deep musical voice from behind Mido, "LET THEM THROUGH!"

Mido ran as fast as he could for his house. Tristan and Saria burst out laughing and Tristan put away his sword and shield. They entered the Deku Tree's clearing and saw the young Deku Tree, which was already growing over the old one behind it. As they approached, it spoke to them.

"That was brave of thee Tristan, but please don't threaten Mido that way again," it said.

"I'm sorry Great Deku Tree, I won't."

"Very good. Now, have ye done as your father asked?"

"Yes, we buried him behind his old home."

"A fitting place for a noble man. I have someone I'd like ye to meet. TALA!"

From behind the Tree came an orange colored fairy. It flew over to Tristan and flew circles around his head a few times before introducing herself.

"I'm Tala. I'm to be your partner from now on, nice to meet you Tristan."

"The same to you Tala." Tristan responded. "Thank you Great Deku Tree."

"I owed your father a favor. As he had a fairy that aided him, he requested you have one as well. Now off with you, before the sun starts getting low."

Tristan and Saria left the clearing. As they came to the entrance to the village again, they saw Mido standing in their way again. He was about to say something when he spotted Tala flying next to Tristan's head. Mido stamped his foot and ran into the shop, which was closer than his home.

Saria escorted Tristan as far as the bridge between the two tunnels that led to Hyrule Field. She could go no further than that. Tristan turned to look at her for what felt like the last time he would see her. She held out something which Tristan recognized as the ocarina she had given Link.

"I want you to have it now, to remember me," she said. Tristan took it and tucked it into his belt pouch. Suddenly Saria had thrown her arms around him and was crying into his shoulder.

"Saria?"

"I-I'm sorry," she said, still hugging him. "But, I've realized how much I care about you, and now we can never be together."

She looked up at him and saw that he was crying too. Making up her mind on the spot, she reached up and kissed him on the lips. For a second, Tristan looked surprised. Then he wiped his eyes and smiled.

"I'll be sure to visit okay?" he said. Saria's only reply was to kiss him again. When they finally broke apart, Tristan turned and ran into the tunnel that would take him to Hyrule Field.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2-Lon Lon Ranch and the Castle Market**

When Tristan exited the tunnel, he continued to run west. Looking up, he saw the sun was beginning to set behind him. _Did I really spend that long on the bridge?_ He wondered.

Tristan reached the top of a hill and saw a small group of buildings with a wall that surrounded it and some of the land around it.

"That must be Lon Lon Ranch," Tristan said.

"I'm sure it is," Tala said. She looked above them and saw the sun touch the top of the mountains. "Hurry, or it'll be dark before you reach it!"

Tristan took off at a run, but it was no use. He was halfway to the ranch when the sun disappeared and they heard a wolf howl in the distance. As if the howl was a signal, two skeletons leaped out of the ground in front of Tristan. Instinctively, Tristan pulled out his sword and shield and cut the first one down. Another one took its place and more continued to emerge. Soon Tristan was surrounded. No matter how many he defeated, more took their place.

The skeletons leaped onto Tristan. He felt himself get two cuts and a nasty knock on the head when suddenly, the skeletons retreated. The sound of hooves caused Tristan to look up. His head swam, but he could make out a woman on a horse riding toward him, then he blacked out.

Bright sunlight poured onto Tristan's face when he woke up. He realized he was in a bed and looked around. He was in a room, supposedly at Lon Lon Ranch, as he heard the sound of cows and horses. Tala rose from the pillow beside him and flew to the door.

"I hear footsteps," she announced, and sure enough, Tristan heard them too.

Tala flew back as the door opened and a woman with long, flowing red hair entered, carrying some clothes. She looked over at Tristan, smiled, and set the clothes on a nearby chair.

"You finally woke up," the woman said. "I'm Malon. I saw the group of Stalchildren as I was riding back to the ranch and knew they had caught someone. Your shirt and shorts were badly torn, so I brought you these. All your other equipment made it though. You've been out for two days."

Tristan absorbed all this and said, "Thank you. I was caught unawares. You wouldn't happen to have any food would you? I'm a little hungry."

"Of course. If you get dressed, you can meet me down stairs. My son and daughter are out on a delivery to Hyrule Castle Market, so it'll just be me and you for breakfast."

Malon headed for the door, but turned around when she reached it.

"You know, you remind me of someone I've met before," she said.

"I'm not surprised," Tristan said. "I believe you knew my father, Link."

"Link! I didn't know Link had a child! Who was your mother?"

"I don't know. He didn't get a chance to tell me. He died in the forest three days ago."

"He did? I heard he was sick and nothing could cure him."

"The sickness worsened and he died from it. After breakfast there's something I need to ask you."

"I'll try my best to answer it… um… what was your name again?"

"Tristan."

"Tristan, I like that name."

Malon left and Tristan heard her going downstairs. He climbed out of bed and pulled off what was left of his tunic and shorts, and pulled on the vest, shirt, and pants Malon had brought for him. Leaving his equipment, Tristan went downstairs to the smell of eggs and toast. It was delicious, Tristan told himself, a big change from the fruit in the forest. When both he and Malon had finished eating, Tristan said,

"My dad told me to ask you if I could borrow a horse to help me get to the Castle. I'm supposed to see the Queen."

"Oh, so you're the one she was talking about," Malon replied. "I received a letter from her asking to prepare a horse for a boy who be arriving soon. I've chosen my best one. She's just the right size for you too. She's the offspring of your father's horse, Epona, and her name is Faya. She's the fastest, strongest, and smartest horse of her age."

"Thank you so much. It'll be easier than getting attacked by Stalchildren again."

"Quite. If you have an instrument of some kind, I'll teach you a song you can use to call her." Tristan ran upstairs and grabbed his ocarina, then met Malon outside.

After learning the song, Malon told him to give her a few minutes and that when he heard a whistle, to play the song. When he heard it, he played the song, heard a whinny and the sound of small hooves, and saw a beautiful white horse galloping toward him, already saddled and ready to ride. The horse stopped in front of him and nuzzled him. Tristan laughed and stroked the horse's nose.

"Hello Faya," Tristan said. "Would you like to be my friend?"

Faya snorted and nuzzled him again. Tristan laughed a second time and climbed into the saddle. Following the riding method of his father, Tristan removed the bridle and laid it on a nearby crate. He knew Faya would respond to his lightest touch, so there was no need for it. Malon reappeared and made her way over to him.

"You look great on her," she said. "Why don't you ride around the corral a few times to get a feel for it and then you can be on your way."

Tristan lightly spurred the horse toward the corral, then nudged her into a gallop as they raced a few other horses around the high fences. When he felt comfortable, Tristan rode back to Malon. She held Faya while he went inside and collected his things. He climbed on the horse and turned to thank Malon. She handed him a bottle full of milk.

"This is Lon Lon Milk," she explained. "When you drink this, you'll feel energized in no time. It's still early in the day, so you should make it to the Castle long before sunset since you're riding Faya."

"Thanks Malon. If I need a refill, I'll be sure to come back."

Tristan urged Faya into a gallop and raced out the gate. Since Lon Lon Ranch was on a hill, Tristan could see the high outer walls of Hyrule Castle Market, and further up its own hill stood the majestic Hyrule Castle itself.

Malon had been right; Tristan reached the market at midday. Since he and Faya together were only as tall as a Hylian, they had no problem navigating the busy streets till they reached the town square. Here Tristan dismounted and tied Faya's saddle to a hitch post. Figuring he could kill an hour, Tristan wandered over to the fountain and looked around. On the north side of the square, near the path that led to the castle, Tristan saw a cart with a red-headed boy who looked sixteen and a brown-haired girl who appeared to be ten unloading it. On the east side was the Bazaar, Item shop, a bunch of houses and apartments, the odd Happy Mask shop, and a set of stairs leading to the Temple of Time. To the south were more houses and apartments. And to the west was the Bombchu Bowling Alley, the Treasure Chest Game, and many more houses and apartments. Scattered hear and there were food stands of all sorts.

While observing all this, Tristan saw a group of men crouched in an alleyway to the left of the cart with the boy and the girl. The men all had swords, and they kept pointing at the cart. It looked like trouble, so Tristan pulled out his sword and shield and started creeping toward the cart. The group of men were ruffians alright, and they all rushed out and surrounded the boy and girl. _Oh not good,_ Tristan thought and he moved faster.

"Alright you two!" one of the ruffians shouted. "Hand over the rupees you have and we're taking the cart!"

"Oh no you don't!" came a voice and Tristan leapt down from the cart right in front of the boy and girl. Tala flew around trying to find a good combat strategy.

"Who the heck are you?" demanded the first ruffian, who seemed to be the leader.

"I'm the one who's stopping you from committing a crime." Tala flew back to Tristan and whispered in his ear that none of the thieves seemed experienced in the use of their swords. Just then, they all attacked. Unlike the fight with the Stalchildren, Tristan was ready this time. He back-flipped out of the way and some of the thieves knocked themselves down by running into each other. Three where left, which turned into one after Tristan threw his boomerang. Last was the leader. He put up a decent fight, up till Tristan knocked his sword away.

Guards came running over to the fight as Tristan sheathed his sword.

"What happened here?" the captain asked. The boy Tristan had saved answered.

"These thieves tried to rob us, but this young boy stopped them in seconds, it was amazing!"

"Yes, it was. If it weren't for him, we'd both be dead!" said the girl. She was looking at Tristan with her green eyes in a way that made her face glow with admiration. Tristan blushed slightly and turned to the captain.

"Well young one," the captain said with a smile. "I saw you enter the market. Barely here fifteen minutes and already causing trouble. You remind of another boy who came here many years ago. His name was Link, and he turned out to be the Hero of Time. You look like him as well, now I think of it."

"I should say so sir," Tristan replied. "My name is Tristan, and Link was my father." The captain recoiled at this information, but recovered and started rubbing his chin, thinking.

"So it's true that Link had a son. Young man, Tristan you said your name was? Do you perchance have a letter from Her Majesty?"

"I do," Tristan pulled out the summons and handed it to the captain.

"Just as I suspected," the captain said, a smile spreading across his face. "Tristan, you must come with me. I've been given orders to bring the one from the forest to Her Majesty as soon as I saw him."

Tristan looked at the two he had saved. The boy had continued unloading the cart, but the girl still stood there, now looking hurt that her rescuer was leaving so soon. He turned back to the captain, who seemed to understand. "I'll give you a half hour," the captain said, and he walked back toward the other guards who were busy dragging the unconscious thieves away.

Tristan turned back to the girl, who immediately threw her arms around his neck. Tristan blushed furiously as Tala fluttered around excitedly, emitting a delightful tinging sound all the while. When the girl finally let go, she giggled at the site of Tristan's stunned expression.

"Thank you so much for saving us," she said. "You looked so cool taking on those five thieves! My name is Celina; I'm the daughter of Malon. I think I remember seeing you at Lon Lon Ranch. You were asleep though. I never thought you could be anyone like the son of Link… Oh dear! I'm sorry, I started rambling again."

"It's okay," Tristan said, feeling a little less embarrassed. "It was fun beating those guys up. It was real nice meeting you Celina. My name is Tristan. I lived in the forest my whole life, until my dad came and told me the queen needed me. I'm on my way there now. And it seems my time is running out. I'm gonna need to get my horse and be off. Sorry I can't stay longer."

"Wait, will I ever see you again?"

"Of course! Tell you what," Tristan removed the necklace that was hanging around his neck. He had intended to give it to Saria, but as they could no longer be together, he could probably use it as an oath-keeper, "take this necklace. Let it be my promise that as long as you have it, I'll see you again, okay?"

"Okay, thank you," Celina replied, taking the necklace and putting it on. Tristan bowed and dashed off to retrieve Faya. Then he looked around for the captain and saw him on a horse near the path to the castle. As he galloped towards him, Tristan spotted Celina watching him again. He waved, and she waved back. Then the captain and Tristan sped off to the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3- The Queen and the Six Warriors of Destiny**

The captain led Tristan toward the castle. When they reached the gates, they dismounted and a boy took their horses to the stables. The captain, named Ferdinand, introduced Tristan to the guards at the gates. When they read the queen's summons, they instantly lowered the bridge and bowed them inside. Then Captain Ferdinand stopped and bade Tristan farewell.

"I must return to my duties," he said. "If you continue along the main corridor, you'll reach the throne room. The queen's bound to be there. If not, her daughter might be, otherwise ask a guard and show them the summons."

"Thank you Captain," Tristan replied.

"No, I should be thanking you. We've been trying to catch those bandits in the act, and you did it for us. Farewell my friend. There may come a time when you and I will fight along side each other."

"Farewell Captain Ferdinand."

Captain Ferdinand exited the castle, leaving Tristan to marvel at its vastness. This first room could easily accommodate a division of soldiers. He spotted the corridor Ferdinand had spoken of and made for it. It seemed long at first, but he reached the end of it quick enough. He pushed the double doors that stood at the end, and entered the Throne Room.

Compared to the first room, the Throne Room was actually pretty small in Tristan's eye, though this was just an illusion. The Throne Room was easily the biggest room in the castle. What Tristan couldn't see lay behind him on the upper levels. At the end of an elegant red carpet stood two thrones, one obviously more used than the other. In the unused one sat a small figure with her legs pulled up. She seemed sad and insignificant.

Tristan crossed the room in relative silence; he was surprised when none of his equipment so much as jingled. When he was ten paces from the thrones he immediately recognized the person curled up in the throne. It was the princess, Laima. She was a mirror image of her mother when she was young, as Tristan knew from his dreams. The only differences were that her dress was bluish rather than purplish, and she wasn't wearing a headdress.

Tristan knelt down and spoke, "Excuse me Your Highness."

Laima's head snapped up, when she saw Tristan she relaxed. "I'm sorry good sir; you gave me quite a fright."

"I apologize Your Highness, I was wondering if you could aid me."

Princess Laima suddenly stood up in surprise. She began to walk slowly toward Tristan examining him. Then she asked a question that caught him off-guard.

"Is that you Link?"

"Link? No Your Highness, my name is Tristan."

"Of course, I'm sorry. You just look like someone I knew."

"I've said this many times today, but I'm not surprised princess. Everyone says I look my father."

"Your father? Link was your father?!"

"Yes."

Laima suddenly grabbed Tristan's wrist and began dragging him to the side of the throne room toward another door.

"I can't believe I got to meet you first!" the princess was saying. "At first Mother didn't want to tell me who she had sent Link to summon here. I finally got it out of her and have been spending almost all my time in the throne room hoping to at least catch a glimpse of you."

They had passed through the door and were halfway down another hallway when she stopped suddenly. She looked at Tristan with a sad look and said, "I sorry about your father dying before you could get to know him. Yes, my mother and I knew he was dying, that's why Mother sent him, so he could pass in his home."

With that said she continued to pull him along the hallway and into another room. It was a study of sorts, and behind the desk sat someone Tristan had seen in his dreams many times. The queen looked up, smiled and stood. Tristan freed himself from Laima's grip and kneeled before Zelda. Almost instantly though, the queen was gently pulling him back up again.

"We'll have none of that from you young man," Zelda said, still smiling. "Your father was the Hero of Time, so that immediately puts you at almost a royal ranking right there. And I don't want to here a single 'your majesty' or 'my queen' from you either. We'll talk as if we were common people. Okay?"

"Alright. I must admit though," Tristan said, feeling slightly awkward, "I've never heard of someone talking to the queen like a common person."

"It's the way your father and I always spoke to each other," the queen replied. "And so shall it be between us. Please sit; there is much we must discuss."

"May I join you mother?" Laima asked.

"Of course dear."

They all took seats around the fire. Zelda produced a tray of tea and biscuits, and they all got comfortable.

"Now then Tristan," Zelda said. "You must inform me of why you are a few days late. We expected you two days ago."

"My apologies," Tristan said. "I was attacked by Stalchildren when I left the forest. They caught me unprepared. If Malon hadn't been out riding that evening, I may not have even gotten that far. I was unconscious for two days apparently."

"Well, that certainly explains it. I must ask this though, did Link every mention anything other than what I asked him to tell you?"

"He wanted me to tell you both good-bye. It seemed like there was more, but he never said anything else."

"I see, I believe I know what he wanted to say, so you may stop worrying about that. Now, for the reason I asked you to come here…"

"This is the part I've been waiting for."

Zelda chuckled, "Indeed. Tristan, what I have to tell you may come as a shock. I believe you know your father's story?"

"Yes."

"Well, as you are well aware, your father and I banished Ganondorf to the Evil Realm for what we hoped was forever. That was not to be. Ganondorf managed to escape."

"WHAT?!"

"Yes, that is why monsters are reappearing in larger numbers, like the Stalchildren that attacked you. He has not truly shown himself, but I can feel him gathering strength deep within the desert, beyond the Spirit Temple."

"Dad said evil was growing there, but he said nothing about Ganondorf."

"That's because we didn't know for certain. But there is no mistaking that evil energy now. He's back, and with a vengeance. Luckily, he does not yet know of your father's death, and that can be kept secret for sometime. That should delay any large attacks from him. Link is the only person Ganondorf truly fears."

"How do we defeat him this time?"

"I was just thinking of that when you arrived. We cannot banish him to the Evil Realm again, because we know he can escape, the only thing to do is to kill him this time. But you'll need help, for even without the Triforce of Power he used to wield, he is still extremely powerful."

"Who should we find to help?"

"There is an old legend, and it says that on a distant planet, there dwell five warriors of destiny. I want you to find the five and bring them here. Once here we can awaken their powers and train them in their use. You will find them to be a great aid to you if we can find them."

"How do I get to this 'distant planet?'"

"I found an extremely old tome in the archives, in it was the legend and a spell, that if used in conjunction with the Ocarina of Time, it will transport the user within feet of the eldest warrior."

"And you want me to go find them? What if they don't believe me? What if they don't want to come to Hyrule?"

"Oh, they'll come. When you arrive, try playing the Song of Time or Zelda's Lullaby. Once the warriors react to the song's magic, not only will they believe you, but their magical abilities will drive them to come with you."

"Okay, then I'll do it!"

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Zelda stood up and walked to her desk. She ran her hand along the wall behind it to reveal a secret panel. While she was searching, Tristan examined the study. With the exception of the fireplace in the middle, two walls were completely lined with bookshelves that were overflowing with books of all kinds. Above the fireplace hung a picture, and Tristan received a shocked when he recognized who it was. It was a full figure painting of his father, Link, the Master Sword still strapped to his back with the beautiful Mirror Shield hanging from the scabbard. Link wasn't wearing his tunic in this painting, but rather the clothes of a gentleman. Tristan was about to ask why such a picture would be hanging in her study when Zelda returned with the Ocarina of Time and an old, tattered book. Turning to the right page, she showed Tristan the spell and handed him a slip of parchment with the Song of Time and Zelda's Lullaby on it, he began to memorize them.

While Tristan was busy, Zelda turned to her daughter, and asked, "Would you mind telling the chef that we'll be having a guest for dinner?"

"Not at all mother," Laima said. She got up and left the room. Once Laima had left, Zelda sat down again and watched as Tristan memorized the Song of Time, Zelda's Lullaby, and the spell, holding the Ocarina and learning the finger positions. If he tried to actually play the songs, she would have to stop him; after all… he still wasn't ready just yet.

"Okay," Tristan said after a short while. "I think I got it. If not, I'm sure Tala will remember it."

"Of course I will," said the fairy. "Don't forget that we fairies have excellent memories!"

"Now, I believe it is time for dinner," Zelda said, standing up. As she walked towards the door, Tristan came to a dead stop. Realizing he was no longer following her, Zelda looked back and saw him looking past her. "Is something the matter?"

"When were you attacked Zelda?!" Tristan exclaimed quickly pointing at the door. Looking behind her, she saw a long gash that had been left in the door and some of the wall long ago. Turning back to him, Zelda smiled and said,

"Don't worry, that happened a very long time ago, not long after Ganondorf was sent to the Evil Realm. I was about to turn eighteen and was being appointed to the council, and following tradition, I had to chose a guardian and present him a gift. I hired Master Biggoron to make a sword of such magnificence that it would be able to rival the Master Sword. When Master Biggoron learned that it was for my guardian, and that I had naturally selected Link seeing as all we've been through, Master Biggoron made it his life's work. He used even rarer materials than some of the Master Sword's, including Death Mountain's fire; pure, enchanted water from Zora's fountain; the finest steel the Gorons ever produced; and it even included a tear from Link's fairy Navi. On the blade, Master Biggoron put an engraving that read in Ancient Hylian: '_All of Hyrule came forth to make me, Aria is my name and only Link and his kin shall take me.'_ As I tested the blade when it was delivered, a single slash emitted such force that it left the gash in the wall."

"Aria?" Tristan said slowly.

"Yes, after I resigned from the council, Link remained my guardian for sometime after. Then he went off on another personal journey and left Aria in my keeping. Since Hyrule had finally found a complete peace and no more monsters roamed the land, Link found little use for a sword."

"Will I ever see Aria?"

"Of course you will! Did you forget what the engraving said already? _Aria is my name and only Link and his kin shall take me._ You're destined to have the sword. I'll show it to you after dinner, so you'll have something to look forward to when you get older. Now I do believe dinner is ready, please follow me."

The queen and Tristan left the study and continued down the hall, away from the throne room. They took a left at a fork in the path and proceeded into a small dinning area. Obviously, this is where Zelda and her daughter came for meals when they weren't tending to a large amount of guests. Laima was already seated, the queen took a seat next to her, and Tristan sat opposite her. Tristan and Laima locked eyes for a moment and Tristan saw something that reminded him of his father, though he could not say what it was. Then the food was brought out, and Tristan began helping himself to everything he could reach when Zelda told him to have his fill. It was all delicious. He had never had such an exquisite feast in the forest, for the Kokiri never ate meat. Here there was plenty of it along with many other things that lingered on his memory for many years to come.

Zelda and Laima watched him for a while, both were amused at how quickly he devoured all the things on his plate and began reaching for more. When the food was gone, Tristan heaved a deep sigh of content and leaned back in his chair. Zelda leaned forward and waved off the servants, leaving the trio alone.

"There are some other things we must discuss about your journey for the five warriors," Zelda began. Tristan sat up instantly and banged his chest on the table. Zelda and Laima giggled as Tristan recovered and pushed himself back a safe distance. "First off, when you go to this 'other world' you will only be searching for four of them."

"Only four? What of the fifth?" Tristan asked.

"I can sense that the fifth is already here. None of the warriors will be older than you. Also, there is a sixth warrior, the leader."

"Me?"

"Precisely, you learn fast. Being Link's son, you posses the blood of heroes. It is only natural that you would be the leader. The others will be composed of three girls, and two boys. One of the girls is already here. This means that there are two girls and two boys that need to be found."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4- A Secret Revealed **

"Now, if you'll come with me to the armory, I'll show you Aria, and we'll find you some better equipment. The sword you have is very old, as is the shield and they are trustworthy no longer. You may keep them as mementos from your father, but leave them here when you travel in search of the warriors."

"Okay."

They all got up and Zelda led the way back the way they had originally come, back through the throne room and out the other side. After navigating some passageways and climbing a set of stairs, they reached the armory. Once inside, Tristan felt a strange feeling tugging at his stomach. He stopped, concentrating on the feeling. It was like something was calling to him, something deeper inside the armory. Zelda was looking around as if getting her bearings, when she felt something tug her glove. Looking down, she saw Tristan giving her an odd look.

"I think I can find Aria by myself," he said. Zelda looked surprised, but when she saw that he was determined, she nodded and let Tristan take the lead. He guided them through crates and stacks of armor, around racks full of weapons, stopping every now and then to concentrate on that strange calling that was getting stronger all the time.

Eventually, he came to a stop about halfway through the room. They were along the eastern wall now, and something kept telling Tristan that he was right on top of Aria. After concentrating for a moment, he realized the _he _wasn't on top of Aria, but rather _Aria_ was on top of him. He turned and faced the wall, looked up, and laid eyes on the most beautiful sword he had ever seen, next to the Master Sword of course. It was shaped like an elongated leaf, and was as polished as a mirror, so much so that Tristan could clearly see the door they had entered through. The hilt and handle were a reddish color and of similar design as the Master Sword, but instead of a yellow gem resting on the blade at the middle of the hilt, there was a golden Triforce mark, gleaming in the torch light.

Just then, the strange calling that had been leading him on suddenly rose up to such a level that Tristan dropped to his knees, holding his head in pain. Zelda reacted quickly, in one swift motion, she grabbed a nearby cloth tarp, flung it so that it covered Aria, and knelt down beside Tristan, who noticed the calls suddenly stopped when Zelda had covered the sword.

"Are you alright?" Zelda asked, true concern hanging on each word.

Tristan nodded, "I'll be okay. It's as though Aria was suddenly screaming to be held by me. It was so loud it hurt."

"That would be the blade's spirit," Zelda explained. "It has been here for so long, away from Link or his kin. It's only natural that when it detected you that it was ready to be held again. Come, let's find you that equipment."

Tristan removed his sword and shield, placing them beneath Aria. Then he picked up two blades that were long enough to be long-swords for him, unlike the Kokiri sword, which was designed as a short-sword. Setting these down near his old sword, he turned to find Zelda who immediately began trying different pieces of armor on him.

"Your father's only mistake was that he never wore any armor at all," she was saying. Eventually she settled on putting a chainmail shirt on him, and covered that with a simple breastplate embossed with the Hyrulian royal crest. "There we are. With this, you should still be able to move as if you were wearing nothing, yet it'll give you the protection to survive some situations I thought your father would die from."

Tristan strapped the swords to his back, then placed a new shield that was exactly like a standard Hylian Shield, besides the fact it was smaller. He walked over to a looking glass and examined himself. The change was astounding; he no longer looked like a forest boy, but rather a really small knight. His hair was messy, but he'd take care of that later. Looking out the window, Tristan saw there was at least two hours of light left.

"Would you mind if I went to the barracks to practice some?" he asked. "I want to get some practice in before I leave."

"Go right ahead," Zelda said. "But first, Laima will show you to your room. You can keep the items from your father there. As for me, I must return to my study. I want to learn as much as I can to help make your journey easier."

"Thank you Zelda," Tristan said, glancing in the mirror again. He looked a lot like the painting of Link in Zelda's study. "Thanks for everything."

"It was my pleasure."

With that the three left the armory. Zelda headed back down stairs, while Laima led Tristan up two more flights. They walked down several hallways before stopping at a door. The princess unlocked it and handed the key to Tristan.

"This room used to belong to your father while he was living here," Laima explained. "From what I understand, the only time anyone comes in here is to dust. For some reason, Mom didn't want anything in there removed or even moved at all. I always had this feeling that Mom liked him more than she lets on. All his old tools from his travels are still in there I believe."

Tristan looked at her to say thanks, but she was looking thoughtfully into the room. Quite suddenly, Laima reminded Tristan once again of his father. Tristan looked down thoughtfully; _I should ask Zelda about that._

"Thanks Laima," Tristan finally said. She broke out of her trance and smiled at Tristan.

"Not at all, not at all," she replied. "In fact, I should be thanking you."

"Why's that?"

"Well, when I found out Link had become deathly sick, I became really worried. Then Mom said she found out Ganondorf had escaped. She summoned Link, who by that time was living in an apartment somewhere in the city, to her for council. I hid behind a pillar and found out the horrible news. Link was unable to fight. He could hardly stand when he walked into the study. I listened through the keyhole; they must have known someone was there because they were being very vague about things. The one thing I could make out was that Link had a son and they both agreed it was high time for him to find out the truth."

"And find out I did."

"Quite. Oh, I'm sorry! I'm wasting your precious few hours before the sun sets. I need to go anyway."

"It's quite all right. It was nice to be able to talk to the princess like my father had."

Laima giggled then curtsied. Tristan bowed and Laima left. Tristan walked into the room and set his things down just inside. He couldn't go any further since the curtains were drawn and he couldn't see at first. After a minute, he could see the curtains, and rushed over to open them. Light filled the room and lit up everything. Tristan could finally see the desk, wardrobe, and bed. There was also a table and chairs, and Tristan was surprised with himself for having avoided them in the dark.

Tristan started examining the room. First he opened the wardrobe. There he indeed found his father's Fairy Bow, the Long Shot, the Lens of Truth, the shining Megaton hammer, the reflective Mirror Shield, and, remarkably, the Golden Gauntlets, along with a few other things. Tristan immediately took the Long Shot and clipped it to his belt, then tucked the Lens of Truth into his pocket.

Next, Tristan walked over to the desk. Here he received a big surprise. On it, in an elegant frame, sat a miniature portrait of Zelda, back when she was still the Princess. _NOW WHAT'S THAT DOING HERE?!_ Tristan asked himself. He was becoming extremely confused. First his father's painting in the study, then Laima reminding him of Link, and now this?!

_That does it! I need answers!_

Convinced that the stairs would take too long, he dashed over too the window and looked down. Judging from the scenery, he was now directly over Zelda's study. On closer examination, he could see a thick wooden trellis surrounding what could only be one thing, the window of Zelda's study. He had noticed that there were flowers surrounding the window when he was there earlier. That had to be it.

Taking out the Long Shot, he opened the window and aimed it at the thickest part of the trellis. A small red dot on the wood told him the hook would hit and stick. Giving the handle a quick squeeze, he released the chain and heard the satisfying "thunk." The chain going taught told him the hook would hold as well. Giving the handle a quick twist, the chain immediately started pulling him downward. He flew out the window and a few feet before he reached the trellis, he stopped the pulling and kicked away from the wall. He swung around and made sure to plant his feet on the wall instead of the window to keep it from being smashed to bits. Allowing himself to hang freely, he peered inside the study.

At first he thought it empty, and noticed the window was locked. Then he spotted her over by the bookshelves near the fireplace. She wasn't looking for a book, she was staring up at the painting of Link, an expression of deep sorrow on her face. The need for answers swelling up again, and a stern look crossing his face, Tristan reached up and rapped the glass.

Zelda jumped and looked at the door, then seemed to realize that the sound came from somewhere else. Looking at the window she jumped back from shock, clearly never expecting Tristan to be hanging right outside her window. Putting a hand to her heart, she calmed down and walked to the window. She stopped dead when she was close enough to see the look on his face. Plucking up her courage, she walked forward, unlocked then opened the window, looking extremely confused.

"I have some questions I need answers to," Tristan said, swinging down to the windowsill and putting away the Long Shot.

"What's wrong with using the door?" Zelda asked, trying to sound amused. In fact, she was. What Tristan had done reminded her about what Link had done on numerous occasions while he was still living in the castle. He had always said the stairs took to long, and she expected this to be Tristan's answer, since he was so much like his father.

"The stairs would have taken too long," Tristan said. A smiled appeared on Zelda's face as she walked over to her desk._ Yep, so much like his father,_ she thought. Tristan hopped to the ground and shut the window behind him.

"Ask away and I'll answer them as best I can," she said, sitting down.

"Let's start with why you and my dad have paintings of each other," Tristan said, pointing above the fireplace and sitting in a chair opposite from Zelda with unnecessary force. _Great, now my butt hurts!_ Tristan thought, but he didn't move.

"How did you find out about that?" Zelda asked softly, a look of true surprise on her face, and then she remembered. Link had a miniature portrait of her that had been done a very long time ago, before he had left the castle. Tristan continued to sit and watch her, his arms folded. He reminded her so much of his father when he was craving answers the Zelda almost laughed, which would've been bad, seeing as Tristan was serious. Should she tell him the other half of his heritage now? Maybe not, unless he had found out something else.

"We had those paintings done a long time ago, before I was made queen and before Link moved out of the castle," Zelda explained. Tristan knew there was more, but also knew he wouldn't here it unless he asked his second question.

"Okay then, see if you can answer this one," he started, shifting slightly so his rear end wasn't being crushed. "Why is it that every now and then, Laima reminds me of Link when I look at her?"

_The cat's out of the bag, _Zelda thought. Now she had no choice. Laima had been the key and Tristan had found it.

"Alright," Zelda sighed. "Looks like I'll have to reveal the second half of your heritage. It's been a secret for many years, not even Impa knows. I must say though, you're much cleverer than your father was."

Tristan's face became noticeably softer at the mention of his heritage from his mother's side. He had wanted to find out who she'd been ever since his father died, but had been very good at hiding it.

"Your father and I, after defeating Ganondorf and all of us growing up again after I sent Link back to his own time, lived together here in the castle. We loved each other even more than before since we were able to spend those seven years that had been lost together. A little over eleven years ago, a few months before I became queen in fact, I met your father secretly in the Temple of Time. There, under the blessing and witness of the other six Sages, we were secretly wed. It wasn't long after my father died that I realized I was to have a child, that. It was then that Link and I knew the world must never know the child was Link's, for there were still many of Ganondorf's followers out there, just looking for something to use against him.

"We distanced ourselves from each other, but never broke off the marriage. Almost a year after my coronation, I gave birth to not just a child, but twins! I summoned your father a few days later. After a long debate, we both agreed that the girl should remain, but the boy would need to be hidden for his own safety. Not many questions would be asked about the queen having a daughter, but they would if they new I had a son, even more if I presented twins. So we both agreed, and Link took the boy deep in the forest. That was ten years ago."

Tristan had realized where this was going and tears had already filled his eyes. He looked into the eyes of the woman he had realized as his mother and began crying. At first, Zelda didn't notice it, until she heard the first sob. She looked at her son and tears filled her eyes too. She stood up and walked around the desk, Tristan almost flying into her open arms.

"M-mom…"

"It's okay. I'm sorry we kept it a secret, but it was not only for Link's safety, but yours as well."

"I-It's a-alright, I understand. I'm j-just so happy I f-finally got to m-meet my mom."

"You also realize what this makes you?"

Tristan stopped crying and looked up, his face glowing with happiness.

"Yeah, it makes me a prince!"

"It sure does, it sure does."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5- The Search Begins**

After telling Laima that she had a brother, and having to carry her back to her room after going in to a faint, Tristan had gone straight to the practice grounds on the east side of Hyrule Castle Town.

He was walking around, trying to find someone he could practice with, when he saw a familiar face. It was Captain Ferdinand, and he appeared to be off duty. Tristan quickly ran over to him. Captain Ferdinand recognized the small boy running towards him and waved, surprised at the armor and weapons Tristan was wearing.

"Hello Captain," Tristan said, stopping in front of him.

"Hello there Tristan," Ferdinand replied. "Don't you look swell in that armor? How did it go with the queen?"

"It went very well. I've been given an assignment. That's why I'm here, so I can practice before I head out. Don't ask for details, I'm not allowed to give them."

"None will be asked. I learned my lesson after trying to get your father to tell me one of his assignments. Woke up in the hospital a week later. So, you need someone to practice with huh? I have some spare time, so I guess I can help you out."

"Thanks a lot!"

They two moved toward the dueling area. Ferdinand, who Tristan simply called Captain, instructed him to use only one sword and his shield for now, and that they would advance to using two swords before it was time to call it quits. Tristan did as instructed and spent the next hour learning to use them properly. He learned so fast that soon he was knocking Captain's attacks away like they were nothing. It was at that time that they advanced to two sword practice.

Quite a crowd had gathered when they started, and when Tristan had again quickly gotten the hang of his weapons and practice turned into a full-fledged duel, the crowd started to become excited. The captain was being matched by a ten-year-old kid!

Tristan soon learned that though he had gotten skilled, Captain was still much better than he was. After one rather embarrassing deflection which left him sprawled on his back, Tristan lost his temper. Pounding his fists on the ground in frustration, Tristan tried to get back up.

Suddenly, something inside him seemed to awaken, and he felt energy course through his body. His swords began to glow and he rushed Captain. Instead of attacking though, Tristan realized that his strangely charged up swords could possibly kill the captain.

Zelda's head snapped up so quickly, she gave herself a crick in the neck. She ran to the window and reached out with the power of her Triforce of Wisdom. Immediately, she knew she had been right. She had felt the Triforce of Courage that Link once had was emanating from Tristan, who was out at the training grounds rushing Captain Ferdinand. She quickly summoned a servant to fetch him.

Just before he struck, Tristan leaped over his opponent. Landing, Tristan swung his foot behind him and caused the surprised captain to fall to the ground. Smirking, Tristan stood up and pointed his sword at Captain's head. The man on the ground recovered and realized he had been beaten. Looking up at Tristan he said, "Not bad, not bad at all."

Tristan sheathed his swords and helped the captain to his feet. "Thanks Cap. I think I'm ready for my assignment now. Thanks for everything."

"No problem young man. Thanks for showing me that I need to practice more myself. If a ten-year-old kid can beat me, I must be getting out of shape."

Tristan grinned in a sheepish way, and then he heard his name, "Sir Tristan!"

Never having been called "Sir" before, it took a moment for him to realize that the servant running toward them was actually speaking to him.

"You must come with me quickly," the servant said. "The queen needs to speak with you. She says nothing's wrong, but it's still important!"

"You go on ahead," Tristan said. "I'll get there my way."

Pulling out the Long Shot, Tristan pulled himself up to a roof and began making a straight line for the castle, jumping over the rooftops, using the Long Shot to cross the wider spaces. Going this way, Tristan was able to avoid the market and actually land himself right outside the window to Zelda's study once more. Finding the window unlocked this time, he dashed in and almost ran into his mother.

"I saw you coming," she explained. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she led him to the fireplace. "I've just discovered something that'll make this whole thing at least a tad bit easier for us."

"What's that mom?"

Just then, they heard footsteps running down the hall. There was a knock and Zelda answered it.

"My apologies your majesty," said the servant. "I tried to get Sir Tristan to come with me but he… oh!"

He had just noticed Tristan sitting in a chair near the fireplace. He glanced at the open window and figured it out.

"My apologies, but it seems I'm a little late for this," the servant said. Zelda forgave him and told him it was okay. He left without another word.

"Now," Zelda said, taking a seat next to Tristan. "How did practice go?"

"Great," Tristan replied, wondering what this had to do with being summoned here so fast. "I managed to get the hang of my weapons, and I beat the Captain of the Guard."

"That's wonderful. While you were doing so, did you feel any sudden energy pulsations in you?"

Stunned that she knew this, Tristan nodded. Zelda smiled in a satisfied way.

"I knew it," she said. "The Triforce of Courage that Link had is now resting inside you."

"Are you serious?"

"I am. I hold the Triforce of Wisdom. That pulsation of energy was the Triforce of Courage awakening inside you. My Triforce of Wisdom alerted me to your Triforce's presence."

"Wow," Tristan said. "Could this mean that I also inherited being the Hero of Time?"

"Anything's possible. Now, I do believe it's bedtime. I want you to start your journey after breakfast tomorrow."

"Ah, mom!"

"Ah ah, bed!"

Tristan climbed the stairs to his room and walked over to the bed. Removing his equipment and clothes, he changed into some nightclothes that had been brought for him. He crawled in bed and was asleep in seconds.

He woke in the middle of the night and stared at the ceiling. To think that all this time, he had never known he was the prince of Hyrule! Just then, he remembered Saria; what would she think?

Remembering a song Saria had taught his father so they could communicate, Tristan pulled out his ocarina and started to play. After a few minutes, he heard Saria's voice.

_Oh my, _Saria said, _It's so late. Who is this?_

"It's Tristan," he replied

_Tristan?! Wow, I forgot you knew this song, how are you? Do you realize what time it is?_

"Sorry, couldn't sleep. I'm doing quite well actually. I'm spending the night in the castle."

_That's so cool! But, you're just spending the night?_

"Well, technically I'll probably spend the rest of my life here. It's just that I'm going on an adventure tomorrow. Guess what?"

_I hate guessing… all right what?_

"I found out who my mom is, and you'll never believe who it is!"

_Who? Who is she?!_

"The queen! My dad and the queen had been married and had twins! Princess Laima is my sister!"

_WOW! That's so cool! And to think I was living with the prince all these years!_

"Just don't tell anyone about it! It's supposed to be a secret! No one in Hyrule knows about it yet, not even the other Sages."

_Oh ok. Don't worry, my lips are sealed._

"Thanks… I miss you Saria."

_So do I. When will you come visit?_

"As soon as I get back. It shouldn't take too long."

_Oh alright. I guess I can wait._

"That's good. Usually you can't wait for anything."

_Oh ha ha._

"Heh-heh. Well, I guess I'll let you go back to sleep."

_Tsch, yeah thanks. I'd rather talk to you, but I know you have that mission tomorrow._

"Yeah, it sucks but it's important."

_Alright… um… Tristan?_

"Yeah?"

_I just want you to know, that no matter what happens… I'll always love you._

"And I'll always love you."

_I want you to promise me something._

"What's that?"

_Promise me you'll find someone else to love and be happy with. I can't bear to think of you being alone for the rest of your life. Promise me?_

"Um… okay… I promise. I'll find someone."

_Thanks, now I can rest easy. Hee-hee. Goodnight Tristan._

"Goodnight… Saria."

With that the communication link was severed and Tristan put the ocarina away smiling. It had been a pleasant conversation. He lay back down and thought about the promise he had made to Saria, who the heck could he find to love as much as he did Saria?

Then an image popped into his mind, it was a girl with brown hair and green eyes. She had a look of admiration on her face and was holding a familiar necklace in her hands.

"Could it be her?" Tristan asked himself.

"Who?" Tala asked in a tired way, thinking the question had been directed at her.

"Nothing," Tristan whispered quickly and rolled over. _Malon's daughter, Celina… could she be the one? Possibly._

With that thought, he fell asleep.

The next morning, Zelda walked into the small dining room and was surprised to see that Laima was eating alone. She still looked a little shocked about the news of her brother, but at least she was conscious now.

"Laima?" Zelda asked, still standing in the door, Laima looked up. "Have you seen your brother?"

When Laima shook her head and returned to her food, Zelda began to get a little worried. If Tristan was indeed like his father, he would have gotten up at the same time as Laima. She walked out and climbed the stairs to the third floor.

The first thing she noticed was that her son's door was ajar. That meant he wasn't sleeping in. _Then where is he?_ She entered the room and immediately knew it was empty. All of Tristan's equipment and armor was missing as well. She was about to leave when she saw the piece of parchment on the desk. She read the message and smiled.

_Mom,_

_Sorry to have left without telling you, but I wanted to get this out of the way before I left on my search. I'm at Lon Lon Ranch, visiting someone I promised I would see again. It's a little sooner than she probably expected, but I want to see her before I leave. Don't worry, I'll be sure to keep my mouth shut about being a prince, and I'll be home by 10._

_Tristan_

Zelda put down the letter and smiled even more. Tristan might not know it, but it looked like he was going to meet the fifth warrior who was already here.

Tristan galloped into the ranch a little after 6:30. Knowing that ranch folk were up with the sun, he expected that Celina would be awake already. _Probably helping Malon,_ Tristan thought.

Bringing Faya to a stop near the corral, Tristan looked around. No one was outside, at the moment anyway. Tristan dismounted and removed the saddle, allowing Faya to rush off and play around in her home again. Placing the saddle on a rack near the corral, Tristan turned around in time to see a door to the farthest stable open.

Out of the door came a small girl with brown hair. She was concentrating on not spilling the two buckets of milk in her hands. Tristan leaned back against the rack and waited for Celina to come closer. She was concentrating so hard on the milk, that she almost walked by before she saw him. She was so surprised that she nearly dropped the buckets, but Tristan dashed forward to prevent that catastrophe. Celina stared at him as Tristan set the buckets down safely.

"W-when did you get here?" Celina stammered.

"A few minutes ago," Tristan said with a smile. "Surprised to see me?"

"Quite honestly yes! I wasn't expecting to see you for some time!"

She stopped and took a step back, looking Tristan up and down. She noticed that Tristan had slicked his hair back, and combined with the fancy armor and weapons, it made him look rather dashing. The admiration she had felt toward him increased greatly, and she also felt something else. She couldn't nail the feeling, but it started to intrigue her. Remembering when he had saved her, she suddenly ran toward him and flung her arms around him.

"I want to thank you for saving me and my brother again," she said excitedly. She let go of him suddenly and saw the embarrassed smile on Tristan's face. Giggling, she grabbed his hand and led him back to the stable she had come out of saying, "Come on! I want you to properly meet my brother, since I understand you already met my mom!"

_I'm starting to think she really could be the one, _Tristan thought. Suddenly, he felt a warmth inside his pouch. Reaching in, he felt around until his hand closed on something slightly unfamiliar. He pulled it out and received a shock. It was the Ocarina of Time.

_How could I have been such a fool? I should have left this with Mom last night!_

But the warmth was intriguing him considerably. He managed to stop Celina and remove his hand from her grasp. She looked back, surprised. Tristan placed the Ocarina to his lips and instantly began playing the song of the Royal Family, Zelda's Lullaby.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then a glow began to appear. Still playing, he looked around. The glow was, shockingly, coming from Celina. On her forehead, Tristan saw a very familiar symbol of a bird. It was the same one that helped compose the Royal Crest. Tristan stopped playing and stared at Celina.

Eventually the glowing stopped and the bird faded away. Celina stood there a moment, a look of shock on her face. Then she looked at Tristan and he knew she wanted answers.

"Come on," he said. "I need to talk to your mom. You learn more there."

Celina's face softened considerably when he saw the mixed look of concern and, strangely, affection on Tristan's face.

"Okay," she said, smiling softly. "She's in the house right now."

She was completely surprised when Tristan took her hand and led her inside. They found Malon in the kitchen, cleaning Cuckoo eggs. Gently and quietly pressing Celina into a chair, Tristan approached Malon saying, "Hi Malon. Remember me?"

Malon turned around and when she saw Tristan she let out a squeal of delight.

"Tristan! Oh it's so good to see you again. My don't you look handsome. I heard you met my daughter Celina. She should be around here… oh! There you are Celina. I thought you were in the stables."

"She was, but I ran into her first before coming here. Something really strange happened too."

Tristan explained what happened and then told her about the five warriors he needed to find.

"The queen said one was already in Hyrule, and I think I found her."

"Wow. My daughter could have a chance to help save the world?"

"Seems so. Would you mind if she came back to the castle with me? I need to tell the queen. Of course," Tristan looked at Celina, "we should also ask if Celina _wants_ to go."

"I see no problem with it. What do you think Celina?"

Celina stood up and practically jumped up and down, saying, "Of course I want to go! No offense mom but ranch life is getting a little dull. I want an adventure!"

Malon and Tristan laughed. Quickly recovering, Tristan said, "Then you'd better get a bag packed. We need to be heading back. I promised I'd be back by 10."

Celina practically vanished in her rush to get upstairs. While she was packing, Malon talked with Tristan some more.

"Where are you going first, after the castle of course?" she asked.

"Well, first we need to find the other warriors," Tristan said, he thought it better to leave out the part where they needed to travel to another world. "Then we take them all back to the castle and begin training."

"Promise me you'll take care of Celina."

"Absolutely! I'll take good care of her!"

Celina flew back down the stairs, a sack on her back, and she leapt into her mother's arms.

"See ya Mom! This is going to be fun!"

"Good bye Celina. Be sure to write."

"Of course I will."

With good byes said, Tristan and Celina went back outside. Summoning Faya with her song, Tristan saddled her and they both climbed up. Celina had to hold on tight to Tristan as Faya took off like a shot towards Hyrule Castle. Years later, she had convinced herself that every time they started moving again, Tristan deliberately made Faya take off at top speed.

Zelda was just sitting down to read a letter from the mayor of Kakariko City when a knock was heard. Looking at the clock, she saw it was 10:00 and knew it had to be her son. Opening the door, she found it was indeed Tristan, but she also noticed he had someone with him. Zelda didn't see the girl at first, until she saw the brown hair and green eyes poking out from behind Tristan.

Realizing Celina was hiding he said, "It's alright. She may be the queen, but she's still just like you and me, human."

Celina giggled and stepped into sight. Just as she was about to curtsy, Zelda reached out and stopped her. "None of that little one," Zelda said smiling. "With us, we speak and act like old friends."

"Okay your…"

"And don't bother calling her 'your majesty' or 'my queen' either," Tristan interrupted, chuckling, "she'll scold you for that as well."

Celina looked slightly confused as Zelda led them into the room and sat them down around the fireplace. She recovered though and sat next to Tristan who spoke first.

"You'll never believe it Mom!" Celina caught this and stared at Tristan, who realized his blunder. "Oops. Anyway, Celina here is the warrior you said was already in Hyrule. I had forgotten to give back the Ocarina of Time last night, and when I played Zelda's Lullaby, Celina started glowing and the bird in the family crest appeared in her forehead. By the way, sorry about letting my secret out just now."

"It's alright. I feel the warriors have a right to know they'll be fighting alongside Hyrule's prince."

"Prince?" Celina asked, utterly confused. "I thought Tristan was Link's son."

"I am, but I'm Zelda's as well. I'm Laima's twin brother."

"Wow! That's so cool!"

"Tristan," Zelda continued. "I think you should get Miss Celina here some equipment, since she'll be joining you. But I don't want to find out your still here in two hours, understood?"

"Yes Mom," Tristan said slowly, as if he was being punished. Zelda smiled and smoothed back his hair.

"I like the hair by the way," Zelda said. "Makes you look rather dashing."

Celina blushed instantly. That was exactly how she had described him. Had Zelda read her mind, or had it merely been a coincidence?

Up in the armory, Celina wasted no time in finding herself a bow and short-sword. Then, knowing Zelda would pitch a fit if he didn't, Tristan, with Laima's help, began trying different pieces of armor on Celina until they found a chest-plate with matching shoulder pads that fit her slender figure perfectly.

"You look good," Tristan said.

"Thanks," Celina said blushing. "I still can't believe I'm one of the six warriors you need to find. Now we only have five left."

"Four, actually."

"Four?"

"Yep, I'm another one. Mom says that since it's entirely possible I'll be using the Master Sword later on, I'm destined to be the leader. If I want to be or not."

"Do you want to?" Laima asked.

"A little. Most of me just wants to go back to bed."

They all laughed and stepped out into the corridor. Tristan pulled out the Ocarina of Time to help with the transportation spell, and began quietly chanting the spell. When he shouted "SHOW US THE WAY!" a swirling, purplish-black portal appeared in front of them. Saying good bye to Laima, Tristan took Celina's hand and they jumped in.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6-** **The Third Warrior**

Wind roared past them as Tristan and Celina were flung through the portal. After several minutes of this, Tristan suddenly landed on his stomach and he felt something land heavily on his back. Turning his head, he could just make out Celina on top of him, facing a red, cloudy sky.

"Hey, Celina?" Tristan said. "Do ya mind?"

"Huh?" she said, looking down. Quickly jumping up, she helped Tristan stand. "Sorry! Didn't realize I'd fallen on you."

"It's alright."

They looked around and found themselves in a clearing, surrounded by trees with bluish-grey trunks and purple leaves. To the north towered an enormous building that seemed to be made of metal. It was lit by fire, but as the building was beyond the wood they were in, they couldn't see the source. A sudden rustle from one of the bushes, however quiet, caught Tristan's attention. Quickly pulling out his swords, he turned around just as a kid leaped high in the air, an axe in his hands.

Tristan easily blocked the attack and soon had the boy disarmed and on his back. Keeping one sword pointed at his throat, he said, "Yield."

"Okay, okay," the boy said. "Are you with the Black Phoenix?"

"Who?"

"I guess not. The Black Phoenix is an evil organization stationed in that gigantic building behind you."

Tristan looked back and for the first time saw a large red flag waving from the structure. Emblazoned upon it was a black bird trailing fire, a Black Phoenix, which in Hyrule was ALWAYS associated with evil. Putting away his swords, Tristan helped the boy up.

"What's your name?" Celina asked.

"My name is Peter," the boy replied. "And you are?"

"I'm Tristan, and that's Celina. We came here looking for a couple of warriors to help us save our home."

"Warriors? Ain't no one around here like that except within the Black Phoenix, but they're all evil."

An idea struck Tristan suddenly, the Ocarina! Pulling it out he remembered the portal was supposed to land them near the eldest warrior.

"I have a hunch there are others," he said, holding out the ocarina. "And this is the key to finding them."

"How?"

Tristan began playing Zelda's Lullaby again. Celina didn't glow this time, but Peter did. The Hyrulian bird appeared on his forehead, and then the glow faded and went out.

"Whoa! What was that?" Peter asked excitedly.

"Turns out you're one the warriors we're looking for. Now we just need to find three more."

"How many are there total?"

"Six," Tala said suddenly. "Celina is one, Tristan is another and he's the leader."

"Tala!"

"Oop, sorry Tristan."

"What's that?" Peter asked.

"What, Tala? She's a fairy. She helps me out a lot in battles, giving me advice and showing me weaknesses."

"Wow cool."

"Speaking of cool," Celina said, hugging herself, "it's getting rather chilly. Is it getting late? I can't see a sun so I wouldn't know."

"Yes, it is getting late. Come on! I'll take you to my village!"

Peter started walking away from the Black Phoenix's building so the other two followed. Pretty soon it was out of sight and they left the forest. Celina gasped as she looked out across the fields before her and Tristan couldn't blame her. Everything had a red tinge to it, supposedly caused by the clouds above, even the rivers looked more like transparent blood than the clear spring water that it really was.

"We're definitely not in Hyrule anymore," Tristan said.

"Hyrule?" Peter asked curiously.

"Our home."

"Oh, okay."

Peter led them into a small valley and a village came into view, if you could even call it a village. There were about six crudely made wooden huts. They were pretty big, and Tristan soon saw the reason. Mulling around was a fair amount of people, more than a regular passerby would've guessed lived there. Peter led them right up to the smallest hut and took them inside.

"MOM! I'm home!" Peter called. "And I have guests!"

The large hut had been divided by many walls and doors. From one of these doors, on the north side of the hut, came a rather plump woman with Peter's black hair.

"Oh hello dear," the woman said. "And who might these young people be?"

"These are my new friends Mom. They need my help with something big!"

"Oh really? And what might that be?"

"We need your son's help in saving our homeland," Tristan said. "My name is Tristan and this is Celina. We are from Hyrule and are searching for a few, gifted people you might say, to aid us in preventing Hyrule's destruction."

"Is that so?" Peter's mom asked. "Hyrule huh? You know, surprising as it might seem, I think I've heard of that place before."

"Where?"

"I can't remember really… It may have been a story book or something."

"Is that so?" Celina asked. "Well, where you heard it doesn't really matter right now. We need your son to come with us to protect that beautiful land before it's destroyed by the evil that has once again invaded it."

"And why would you think that my son is one of these 'gifted people' you're looking for?"

The three children looked at each other and smiled. Remembering that Zelda's Lullaby had no effect on Celina the second time it was played in front of her, Tristan pulled out the Ocarina and began playing the Song of Time. It's slow, beautiful tune filled the air as Celina, Peter, and even Tristan, began to glow. When Tristan ended the song, the symbol of a bird appeared on each of their foreheads and the glowing stopped. Tristan looked in a nearby mirror, then at Celina, clearly wanting to say "first time this ever happened."

"By the gods!" Peter's mom finally said. "Well… I guess there's no doubt you were telling the truth now." She smiled and continued, "And I guess I'll just have to let my son have the adventure he's been craving for all these years"

Peter began jumping up and down in excitement. Then he rushed to his mom and gave her a quick hug before going to pack. Peter's mom then turned to Tristan.

"I have a favor to ask of you though," she said.

"If it's within my power, I'll do my best," Tristan replied.

"When you and those others you're looking for have a lot of spare time, can you return here and help us regain control of our land?"

"You've been taken over? Wait… the Black Phoenix?"

"Quite. They took over several years ago and the land has slowly started to deteriorate from it. You've no doubt seen the red clouds in the sky and the purple trees?"

"Aye we have."

"That's the Black Phoenix's doing. It will take a long time, centuries even, before this land is completely destroyed, but they won't leave until it is."

"We'll come back long before that ever happens! I promise to return and try any method I can think of to rid you of the Black Phoenix! I may not return till I'm older, but you have the word of a prince that I'll return!"

"You're a prince?"

"Prince Tristan Marison Davos of Hyrule at your service," Tristan said, bowing low.

"You know," Celina interrupted. "That's the first time I've heard your full name."

"I only recently learned it," Tristan said with a laugh. Noticing the confused look on Peter's mom's face, he explained. "I was sent to grow up and live with a group of forest people for my family's and my own safety. I only found out recently I was a prince. My mother is Queen Zelda Alieena Marison Davos the… uh… XXXVIIth; and my father was the legendary Hero of Time, Link. No one ever knew his full name."

"That's quite a tale," Peter said from the doorway. No one had noticed he had finished packing. "I'm ready to go when you are."

"We're ready," Tristan said. Turning to Peter's mom he added, "Good day madam. We'll return as soon as we can."

"Take care Prince Tristan. Keep an eye on my son!" she said. Leaning down to whisper in Celina's ear she added, "And don't let that prince get away from you."

Celina pulled back, surprised. The plump woman winked and walked back into the room she had come out of.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7- The Remaining Warriors**

Now that Peter had some idea of how to find the other warriors Tristan and Celina needed to find, he quickly led them south-west to a nearby village. Peter explained it was a much larger village than his own, and he had a few friends that lived there that might be who they are looking for.

It was definitely getting dark now, and the temperature was changing to match it. Peter advised them that they should continue walking through the night, for even though the Black Phoenix was out in greater numbers at night, they never stopped moving travelers, only the resting ones.

So on they walked, late into the night. Tristan and Peter seemed to have no end to their energy, but Celina was fading quickly. Soon she got so tired she had to stop, but found she was too exhausted to keep going. Knowing they had precious little time before another patrol came along, Tristan swiftly removed his swords and shield and handed them to Peter to carry. He stepped up to Celina and turned around, kneeling. She leaned forward till she was resting on his back. Tristan stood up and they continued on, Peter leading, and Celina riding piggy-back with Tristan.

Though it was night-time, the red clouds above them gave them enough light to see at least one hundred yards around them. Just as the sky was beginning to lighten a bit and it started getting warmer they spotted a few buildings and made for them. As they got closer, Peter got excited.

"This is it!" he said tiredly.

"Sssshhhhh!" Tristan urged. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Celina had fallen asleep while watching their progress, though now it looked like she had been watching Tristan. She was slightly pale from the cold and Tristan new that if they didn't get her somewhere warm soon, she cold get sick.

"Hey, what do you use as money around here?" Tristan whispered.

"Rupees are the most common, but a lot of people trade as well," Peter replied.

"You use rupees? So do we!"

"Wow! Now there's a coincidence! Why did you ask anyway?"

"I need to find an inn so we can get her in a bed. If she doesn't warm up soon, she's gonna get sick."

By now they had reached the village, which was more of a city. Making a quick trip through, they reached the square and stopped in front of a fountain to discuss what they were going to do.

"I'll go and round up my friends, they should be up by now. You look for a bed for sleepy-head. I'll meet you back here at the fountain," Peter said. Glancing to the side of the fountain, he saw someone he instantly recognized. It was Jaimon Golra. Peter turned back to Tristan, pointing over at Jaimon as he did. "Be cautious around that guy. Personally I think he's ok, but everyone thinks he's a bully or something. He's 9 years old and the biggest anti-social person you'll find in the village."

"I'll watch my back."

"Speaking of which, I'll drape your swords over your shoulder so you don't forget them. I'll hold onto the shield though. You can't carry that without waking her up."

Peter took off to find his friends and Tristan looked for an inn of some kind. He was about to give up when soft voice said, "You may wanna try the next street over."

Tristan turned and saw Jaimon nearby. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Slightly perplexed, Tristan thanked him and dashed up the next street. Sure enough, he came across an inn almost instantly.

Pushing his way in, Tristan managed to rent a room for one night. He somehow climbed the stairs to the second floor and made it into the room. There were three beds and Tristan lowered Celina onto one. After removing her equipment, Tristan laid her down and pulled up a blanket. He placed a note explaining where he'd be if she woke up before he got back on the bedside table. He felt her forehead and her temperature seemed normal. Convinced she'd be alright, Tristan dashed out of the inn and immediately forgot where the fountain was.

Looking around, he spotted Jaimon again. He was walking toward Tristan, and as he was passing he said, "Follow me."

Walking next to Jaimon, Tristan was finally able to get a good look at him. His skin was rather pale and he had sandy blond hair, but the most amazing part about him was his eyes. Instead of being something like blue or green, they were ruby red. They instantly reminded Tristan of the shadowy Shiekah people back home. Their numbers had drastically diminished, though Zelda and her friend Impa were trying to correct that.

Soon they were at the fountain and Jaimon took his place on the far side, but not before Tristan managed to thank him again. Their eyes met for a moment, and Jaimon actually managed a week smile, which Tristan returned.

_This guys not at all what people think he is_, Tristan thought. _He's a pretty neat guy. It's just that no one understands him._

Just then, Peter showed up with about seven other kids. Tristan managed to count three girls and four boys.

"Here they are!" Peter said triumphantly. The others all said hi, and Tristan replied warmly. "You found an inn?"

"Yeah, it's a little way down the east road."

"Might be a good idea to test 'em there I think," Peter whispered to him. "It'll be kind of suspicious having glowing kids in the middle of the street."

"Yeah, you're right. Here's the key. I'm gonna hang here a moment longer and think something over."

"Alright, Susan here will stay behind and keep you company."

"Thanks."

Susan turned out to be a red-haired girl with blue eyes. She stood with her hands behind her back, watching Peter with a slight frown.

"Something wrong?" Tristan asked.

"Huh?" Susan looked around at him. "Oh! No it's nothing. Peter's just going on about some grand adventure a few of us can join. I personally don't believe him."

To her surprise, Tristan began chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"You'd be surprised at what can happen. Excuse me a second."

Tristan turned and looked at Jaimon, who was watching him out of the corner of his eye. Stepping up to him, Tristan waited a moment. Eventually Jaimon stood up, looking a little surprised that someone had learned to understand him so well so soon, and gave a short nod. Susan looked shocked. She pulled Tristan just out of ear-shot to talk to him.

"What's up?" Tristan asked.

"Do you know who that is?"

"Yeah, Jaimon Golra. I know many people here think he's a bad kid, but he's been helping me out ever since I got here."

"He has? That's most unlike him. He usually doesn't get involved in other peoples' business."

"He's not bad. I can tell. Everyone just misunderstands him. Something must have happened to him that caused him to feel he needed to keep his distance."

"You know, I never thought of it that way. You're pretty smart."

"Thanks to my mom. Now come on! The three of us need to get to the inn."

When they rejoined Jaimon, he took one look at Susan and knew she had changed her mind about him. They smiled at each other briefly before following Tristan.

When they reentered the room, the first thing Tristan noticed was that Celina was sitting on her bed, rubbing her eyes. Ignoring the sudden muttering about Jaimon being there, Tristan rushed over to Celina to make sure she was okay.

"I'm alright. I woke up just before the party started," she said. "Thanks for last night. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You're surprisingly light so I had no trouble at all."

They walked over to Peter and everyone fell quiet. Tristan pulled out the Ocarina as Peter instructed everyone to stand a few feet away from each other. Tristan noticed Susan standing near Jaimon and smiled. When everyone was ready, Tristan began playing Zelda's Lullaby, hopefully for the last time. The effect was immediate this time. Of the eight kids who were there, three began glowing, the symbol of a bird clearly visible.

Celina clutched Tristan's arm as she hopped up and down, making it extremely difficult to end the song. When he finally managed it, he saw Peter leading the others who had no reaction back out the door, handing each of them a red rupee for coming.

When Tristan looked at who was left, he instantly noticed Susan and Jaimon. Nodding at both of them, Tristan turned to the last person. It was a young girl, at least two years younger than Tristan.

"What's your name?" Tristan asked gently.

"Me? I'm Jessie," she said. Tristan was surprised that she was so composed. He was used to younger kids breaking down in absolutely strange situations. "Susan's my sister!"

"Is that so?" Tristan said, looking at Susan who nodded. "Believe Peter's 'grand adventure' rant now?"

"Don't really have a choice do I?" Susan replied.

"Well, we'd better go talk your parents into letting you…"

Tristan suddenly realized they were all staring at him.

"What?"

"You don't know do you?"

"Um, apparently not. I haven't been here very long."

Jaimon took a step forward, obviously hesitant about being the one to explain the girls' situation. "They were taken away from their parents when they were young and forced to live on a ranch outside of town. The owner's a really mean guy who doesn't care a whip about them. There have been many times he's sent them to bed in the barn with no food, just because a horse wasn't woken up at the right time. I always made sure they got food though."

"That was you bringing all that food?" Susan said suddenly. Jaimon looked at her.

"Yeah it was. I hate seeing people taken advantage of, especially after…"

He looked down at his feet and closed his eyes. Susan was about to say something when Tristan stepped up and laid a hand on Jaimon's shoulder. Jaimon looked him in the eye and knew what Tristan wanted to tell him. _That was very noble of you. They'd be very proud._ Jaimon nodded and sat on a bed nearby.

"Well then. Since it looks like no one will really miss you, I guess we should get to Hyrule so my mom can update us on what's going on."

"Who's your mom?"

"Oh that's right! I haven't properly introduced myself! I am Prince Tristan Marison Davos, son of Queen Zelda Alieena Marison Davos the XXXVIIth."

"You're a prince?" Jessie asked.

"Yes, and this is Miss Celina of a very renown family that tends the land's horses at Lon Lon Ranch."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Celina said, curtsying.

The four others all returned the gesture.

"So, are we ready to go?" Tristan asked. The others nodded, the two sisters holding hands. Before Tristan turned to the task at hand, Jaimon placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For understanding me. No has until now, thanks to you."

"My pleasure Jaimon. Anything for a friend. I know what it feels like."

"Thank you."

Tristan directed everyone to stand behind him. Concentrating hard, he held out his hand and shouted, "TAKE US HOME!" Another portal appeared; this one bluish-black. Taking Celina's hand, he ran through, the others following right behind him.

"We're on our way home Mom!" Tristan shouted, knowing his voice would reach Hyrule before he did.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8- Introductions and Grand Tours**

Zelda had been organizing some loose pieces of parchment on her desk when she heard Tristan's voice. Looking up, she saw the blue-black portal swirling in largest area of the study. All at once, Tristan fell out of it and five other kids fell on top of him, burying him.

"Oooowwww…" came Tristan's muffed voice. Zelda realized the swords and the shield strapped across his back must have been crushing him and she gently started helping the kids up. As soon as Tristan could breathe again, he groaned, "That's the second time that's happened to me."

"I see your trip was successful," Zelda said helping Celina up.

"Completely," Tristan said enthusiastically. "May I introduce to you, Mr. Peter Woodson, Misses Susan and Jessie Youthan, and Mr. Jaimon Golra. Every one, this is my mother, Queen Zelda"

"It's a pleasure to meet you all and I assure you there is no need to show respect. I may be queen, but here we are merely friends."

The others looked at each other curiously then at Tristan, who was busy filling his mom in on what happened when they went to the other world. There was a knock on the study door and Laima entered. She stopped short when she saw all the other kids.

"Laima!" Tristan shouted from the other side of the room. He quickly made his way to her and led her into the room, making introductions. When they reached Zelda, she was smiling.

"Are these the others?" Laima asked. When Zelda nodded Laima relaxed a bit more and walked over to talk to Susan. Tristan turned back to his mom.

"There's one more thing," he said.

"And what might that be?"

"I made a promise to Peter's mom that we would come back when we had a chance and drive off the Black Phoenix group that had taken over."

"Black Phoenix? Who in their right mind would choose a black phoenix for their group's name?"

"A very evil one apparently. The entire land is covered with these red clouds that throw a red tint on everything. Even the pure spring waters look like blood. The trees have changed too. They have purple leaves and bluish-grey trunks."

"That's terrible! Of course you can go back to help those poor people. But, before that…" she turned to the group at large, "Tristan is going to lead you to the armory so you all can get some armor and weapons. Then I'll let Tristan show you around Hyrule. Since you're all gonna be here a while, I think it would be best that you get to know this land."

"You mean see our new home," Jessie said. "Right?"

"Sure Jessie," Susan said happily, "our new home!"

"Come on all of you!" Tristan said, laughing. "The sooner we get your stuff, the sooner you see it!"

Tristan gave Zelda a quick hug before leading the others out of the room. When they drew near the armory again, Tristan stopped.

"What's wrong," Celina asked. Tristan had that strange feeling like something was calling him again. _Aria must have been uncovered while we were gone._

"Tristan?"

"It's nothing," he finally said. He opened the door and led them inside, trying as hard as he could to ignore those never-ending calls from Aria, who he now saw had indeed been uncovered.

Leaving Celina to supervise the others, Tristan wandered over to his father's sword. It seemed to know it had hurt him at their last meeting, for the calls remained soft. After several minutes, he heard footsteps behind him and saw the others coming toward him. They were all wearing chest-plates and shoulder pads. Peter had a flail stuck in his belt; Susan carried a couple of small axes; Jessie had a pair of daggers; and Jaimon had a lance strapped to his back. Tristan noticed that all of the weapons had similar markings around the handles.

"How did you guys find those so quick?" Tristan asked.

"It's funny," Susan said, "but we were all kind of drawn to them. Celina said it was the same thing with her bow and short-sword."

Tristan looked at Celina who quickly nodded. After a little thinking, Tristan said, "Well, there is the possibility that these all belonged to the original warriors. I guess you're supposed to have them. You'll start training in a few days to be able to master them. I'm not sure how long the training is going to take, but by the time it's over, we'll be the best warriors in the land. But that all happens later, right now we need to get to the stables so Celina and I can show you Hyrule!"

Everyone had their own favorite place. Peter was fascinated by Death Mountain and its swirling cloud, and talked excitedly with the Gorons for awhile. Jessie nearly wet herself in her excitement when she saw the Zoras in Zora's Domain. Susan was intrigued by the all female Gerudo clan, who, back in Ganondorf's time, had been a group of thieves. Jaimon actually enjoyed the peace of Lake Hylia. Celina still loved her home, Lon Lon Ranch. And Tristan loved the forest.

They spent quite a bit of time in each area. When they entered Kokiri Forest, Tristan was reunited with Saria. While the others went to go visit the great Deku Tree, led by Tala, Tristan and Saria wandered over to Tristan's old tree-house to catch up. The first thing Saria did when they were alone was give Tristan another kiss, then they hugged each other.

"I missed you," Saria said softly. Then she pulled away and punched him in the shoulder. "You said you wouldn't take that long! It's been almost two days since I heard from you! You could've at least played the song!"

"No I couldn't Saria," Tristan said, guiding her to the bed. "The communication magic wouldn't have worked where I went."

"Where did you go?"

"Sit down and I'll tell you."

They spent about an hour talking. Saria forgave him the moment she found out he had gone to another world. She kept looking at him in a knowing way whenever he started talking about Celina, so knowing in fact he changed topics as quick as he could. The sound of the others drew him outside for a minute, but after Tala said she'd show them the Sacred Forest Meadow, he came back in and Saria asked a question Tristan knew had been coming this whole time.

"So, do you like Celina?"

"Well… yes I do. I'm still not convinced she's the one, I mean come on I've known her all of three, maybe four days." Tristan said, slightly embarrassed. "And anyways, I'm only ten. I still have many years to make that decision."

"That's true. You still have a lot to learn about each other. She may not be the one for you at all. Don't worry though, like you said, you have many years to find out."

There was a slight catch in her voice that others would have missed, but Tristan heard it instantly. He knew she wished they could be together, but as she was a Kokiri, who would remain a kid forever, and he was a Hylian, who was bound to grow up one way or another, that could never be. The only way for that to happen was to collect all three Triforce pieces and use its power to make Saria a Hylian. But Tristan knew all too well that Saria was deeply in love with the forest, and he'd never take that away from her.

Saria stared at the floor. Tristan placed a hand on her shoulder and she immediately leaned against him. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close, savoring the moment. They stayed that way for some time, neither one wanting it to end, but end it did. They heard the other's voices again, and Saria stood up, wiping away her tears. Tristan stood as well and gave Saria one last hug. She in turn gave him one last kiss. Then they walked outside.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9- An Unexpected Surprise**

Tristan had remained silent on the way back to the castle, and he kept to himself for a few days afterward. Zelda seemed to know what was going on with him, but she never told the others. The other warriors spent their time wandering around the castle and the market, observing the people and learning the ways of Hyrule. Susan was the only one amongst them to notice that not only was Tristan missing from their little group, but Jaimon was too. She never mentioned it to the others, but she still thought it rather odd.

It turns out that Jaimon was spending his free time with Tristan in the castle library. For a while, Tristan hardly ever knew Jaimon was there. Eventually putting down the book he had been pretending to read, though his mind had kept wandering back to the forest, he saw Jaimon standing in the corner with a rather thick book, furiously turning the pages. It was like he wanted to see if the ink would fall off the pages if he turned them fast enough.

Jaimon and Tristan soon became best friends. Jaimon had never met anyone who understood him so well but as Tristan had grown up thinking he didn't have parents, then meeting his father who died soon after, Tristan knew what Jaimon had gone through. When Jaimon asked why Tristan was staying away from the others, Tristan actually told him about Saria, something he normally would never have done. In return, Jaimon told him about his parents, who had died trying to keep him alive.

Finally, the day to begin their training arrived. Tristan led them all to the barracks on the east side of town and introduced them to Captain Ferdinand. With help from some other instructors, Ferdinand began teaching the others how to use their weapons.

This basic training went on for many days, and Tristan, who already knew how to use his weapons, and many others as well, helped out where he could. Several weeks passed, and the five warriors were now showing some true skill with their weapons. Captain Ferdinand complemented them on their skill, saying things like his own soldiers had never learned how to use their weapons as quickly, much less put their armor on correctly.

After a particularly long day of training, Tristan, who had been acting as combat dummy and was pretty beat up and worn out, wandered over to his mother's study. He was surprised when he saw her speaking to someone from Kakariko City.

"Oh! Sorry, didn't realize you were with someone," Tristan said.

"It's no problem," the man said. "We were just finishing." Turning back to Zelda, he said, "So we can expect to bring it next week?"

"Yes, in the middle of the week I would say," she replied, shuffling some papers.

"Very well, good day your majesty."

The man left and Zelda turned to find her son. She saw him sitting on the window sill rubbing his rather badly bruised arms.

"How did all that happen?" she asked, sitting next to him and gently pulling one of his arms toward her.

"Training," Tristan responded flatly, staring out the window. "Since I'm already trained with many weapons, I'm basically just the combat dummy for right now."

"I'm sure that'll soon change," Zelda said soothingly, performing a little spell to heal his arms. "The others are getting quite skilled from the reports I've been getting, and Captain Ferdinand thinks you can get into the real training soon. I must warn you though, the next stage of training will take many years."

"Think we can hold off Ganondorf that long?"

"Of course we can. Without the Triforce of Power, the only thing Ganondorf can use right now is an army, which I'm glad to say he's having trouble gathering. Not all monsters can get along with each other after all."

"Yeah, that's true."

Zelda finished healing Tristan's arms and looked at her son's face. He was still staring out the window and didn't seem to realize she had done anything at all, as he continued rubbing his arms.

"What's wrong honey?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing's wrong. I'm just a little tired."

Zelda looked out the window to see what Tristan was looking at so intently. She could barely see the forest on the horizon and immediately knew he was thinking about Saria. She also knew that her son's birthday was just next week. She had made some arrangements for Tristan to visit the forest until then so the castle could be decorated, even though only trustworthy guests were being invited. Few people knew of Tristan's true heritage, and Zelda intended to keep it that way. Those who did know had been invited to the celebration next week.

"Tristan," Zelda began, smoothing back his hair. He finally looked at her. "What would you say to visiting the forest again for a few days?"

"You mean like a vacation?"

"Exactly, like a vacation."

"Yeah, of course I'd like to. But I just can't abandon my friends in the middle of their training."

"Don't you worry about them. Their in good hands."

Tristan thought for a minute. He really wanted to visit Kokiri Forest again; he hadn't talked to Saria in over a month, she was sure to tear him apart for that. Unable to find another argument he said, "Alright, I'll go."

"That's good to hear. Go up and pack and I'll have Faya saddled up."

"Thanks mom."

They stood up and Zelda hugged Tristan. She knew he needed a break. On top of the basic weapon training with the others, she had been giving him private lessons, teaching him the ways of Hyrule, as well as other things like ethics; the kind of things he would need when Hyrule learned of their prince.

"Go my little prince," Zelda finally said, pushing him toward the door. "I'll let the others know where you've gone and why. You just worry about getting to the forest and relaxing for a few days. I'll send someone to come get you when your needed here again."

Tristan went up and packed and was outside mounting Faya in under a half hour.

"Take care of yourself."

Tristan looked around and saw Jaimon standing under a nearby tree. Zelda had probably already told the others where he was going.

"Thanks Jaimon. Good luck in training. Take care of Celina while I'm gone."

"Will do brother."

Tristan galloped away, smiling to himself. He and Jaimon had only recently started calling each other brother, but they were such close friends that Zelda had even said it was a good idea. Tristan wondered how Celina would do in practice with him gone, as he usually acted as her tutor. Then his thoughts strayed forward to the forest. Now that he was out of the city, he could clearly see Lon Lon Ranch, and way to the east he could dimly see the forest.

He reached the outer edge of the forest just as the sun was setting. He was dead tired and longed for his bed in his tree-house. He dismounted and removed Faya's saddle, allowing her to roam around as she pleased. If Tristan needed her, all he had to do was play her song.

Carrying the saddle over his shoulder, Tristan walked into the forest in the direction of the village. He reached it in no time and when he emerged from the tunnel, he saw the Kokiri were putting away the large table they ate meals at. Being as quiet as possible, Tristan went over to his tree-house and climbed the ladder.

The inside hadn't changed at all. He dropped his equipment and the saddle on the table and found an old pair of shorts and a shirt he had once worn and changed into them. If he was going to stay here awhile, he may as well get comfortable. Putting his other clothes in his bag, he stuffed everything he brought with him under the bed and laid down.

He was just dozing off when a squeal caused his eyes to open in time to see a green blur come flying at him and land on top of him. He looked down and saw Saria hugging him around his middle. Smiling, he stroked her hair. She stood up suddenly and began punching his arm as hard as she could.

"What have you been doing? Did you completely forget about me or something? I've been so worried! Do you know how long it's been since I've heard from you? Over a month! A MONTH!!!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Tristan said, trying to shield himself with his pillow. This was a bad decision, as Saria merely grabbed it and started whacking him over the head with it. "Ow, OW! Saria please, I still hurt from today's training!"

She stopped instantly and knelt down beside him. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. But it's been a rough month. I haven't had a decent sleep for a long time now. On top of training my friends the basics, I also have prince lessons with my mom almost every night. That's one reason I haven't been able to contact you, I've been so busy and tired that I fall asleep before I can even try. I had a rather embarrassing moment a few days ago where I fell asleep while eating. I went face first into my soup."

"You poor thing. I didn't know you were having such a tough time. But why are you here and dressed in your old Kokiri clothes?"

"Mom sent me away for a few days to relax and rest up before my real training started. That'll take several years, but at least I won't have lessons with Mom before bedtime. I should be able to make it through this AND keep in contact with you."

"That's good to hear. How long are you here for?"

"Don't know exactly, someone is supposed to come get me when it's time to go home."

"Sssoooo… You could be here awhile?"

"Yeah, probably. My birthday's next week though, so I'll probably be going home for that."

"I know, I'm invited to come spend the day."

"What? I thought you couldn't leave the forest."

"I'm a Sage remember. I can leave when I want to."

"Oh yeah."

The darkness was growing outside. A sudden flash lit up the sky and rain started falling. They heard the thunder sometime later.

"Oh drat," Saria said, looking out. "It's raining so hard I can't even see the ladder."

She came back in and lowered the heavy curtain to keep the cold out. Not about to let her sleep on the floor, Tristan moved over as far as he could and she laid down next to him.

"Well isn't this cozy?" Saria asked. Tristan's eyes were already closed, but he managed to murmur an agreement before fully falling asleep. Smiling to herself, she stroked his cheek a few times before rolling over, wrapping his arms around her, and snuggling up against him. _If he's going to be here awhile, I may as well enjoy it_, she thought before falling asleep in his arms.

Tristan woke up in the middle of the night to find his arms wrapped around Saria with no knowledge of them getting there. Turning his head to look out the window, he could barely see that the clouds had shed most of their rain and were beginning to break up. It was still raining lightly, but he knew it would stop before morning. He gently pulled Saria a little closer and fell back asleep.

When he woke up the next day, the first thing he noticed was that Saria was gone. The curtain over the door had been pulled back, revealing a clear blue sky. Just as he was wondering where Saria went, he heard someone coming up the ladder. Her green-haired head came into view, carrying a bag over her shoulder. Saria was so focused on it, that she didn't realize Tristan was awake.

"Oh, hello sleepyhead," she giggled when she saw him. "You do know it's passed lunchtime right?"

"It's the afternoon?" Tristan said groggily. "Why didn't you wake me up this morning?"

"After hearing that you were having trouble sleeping, I decided to let you be. That's why you're here after all isn't it? To rest?"

"And to see you."

"That's sweet. Here I brought you some fruit."

Getting up, Tristan managed to sit at the table and eat some of the fruit. He had forgotten how good it tasted.

"So what have you been up to today," Tristan asked.

"Oh, just milling about. Seems everyone knows your back. Someone saw you climb up here yesterday, that's why I came. I already told them you're not here to stay, and that you're plumb tired."

"Thanks Saria. What about Mido, what did he say?"

"Actually, he's kind of glad you're back."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

"No really. The Deku Tree asked him to go check something that's been going on in the Lost Woods, but he completely chickened out. He's says he went and checked it out, and found nothing, but I know he just went inside the entrance and waited a few hours before coming back out."

"The Deku Tree know I'm back?"

"Yep."

Tristan finished his food and pulled his swords and his shield out from under the bed. Strapping them on, he headed for the door. Saria blocked his path.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm gonna go ask the Deku Tree what's going on. If Mido won't go after it, no one else will."

"You're supposed to be resting!"

"I've gotten enough rest for today. I still have close to a week to rest Saria, no need to worry about me."

"Well, alright. But I'm coming with you."

She gave a look that told him he'd better not argue, so he reached under the bed once more and pulled out his bow and arrows, as well as the Long Shot. Handing Saria the bow, he clipped the Long Shot to his belt, intending to use it only for a quick get away.

They went outside and climbed down the ladder. As they walked through the village, the other Kokiri all welcomed Tristan back. He smiled to himself, remembering when they had been slightly less friendly. As they neared Mido's house, they saw him dash back inside.

"I'll be having a word with him too," Tristan told Saria, who smiled and nodded. With Saria walking next to him, and Tala flying around his head, Tristan entered the Deku Tree's clearing.

"Great Deku Tree! We're back!" Tristan and Tala said as one. Saria giggled.

"Ah, Tristan welcome, and you too Tala. Good to see you too Saria," the Deku Tree said. "I'm glad you've come, though I know your original intention was merely to return to the forest to rest, I have a favor to ask. Something dark and mysterious has entered the Lost Woods. I've been able to use my powers to contain it in the Sacred Forest Meadow, but that's all I can do. I'd like to ask you to investigate this strange thing, and destroy it if need be. Can you do this for me?"

"Of course Great Deku Tree. I'll get right on it."

"Thank you child. I see you have your father's spirit. Please don't be harsh on Mido."

"I won't."

Tristan and Saria walked back out into the village and went over to Mido's house. When they entered, they at first thought it was empty. But then Tala found Mido hiding behind the large stump he used to show everyone he was the boss. Saria walked over and kicked him out from behind it.

"Ow! Saria, that hurts!" Mido said.

"Get up you good for nothing excuse for a leader!" Saria growled.

"Okay, okay!"

"Hello Mido," Tristan said with a smile. Mido froze when he saw the two swords strapped to Tristan's back.

"Oh… uh… Hi… Tristan," Mido stammered. "Listen, about… before you left. All those years… I'm sorry I was so mean to you."

"Forget it Mido. There's no need to apologize. As long as you tell everyone what really happened when you were sent into the Lost Woods."

"O-of course. I-I'll do that."

"Good, well, see ya!"

Tristan and Saria left, leaving Mido to slump to the floor in disbelief, he had been expecting Tristan to take a swipe at him.

They had been walking for some time before Tristan and Saria managed to reach the Sacred Forest Meadow. They could feel the Deku Tree's protective magic as they passed through the tunnel leading to the Meadow.

Remembering when the time's his father had come here, Tristan knew the safest way through the hedge maze leading to the Meadow itself was to walk across the top of the hedges. Taking a quick glance around, Tristan saw a few new sturdy trees that he could hook to in order to get up top. He was about to take out the Long Shot when he stopped. A slight buzzing sound had caught his ear. Looking higher, he saw about a dozen wasp-like monsters flying around. Their large black and yellow bodies didn't seem to portray potential danger as well as their tail. It was composed of a long blade-like stinger that crackled with electricity.

"Looks like walking across is out of the question," Tristan said. "Any idea what those are Tala?"

"They look like BuzzStings," she replied. "But I'm not certain. These are larger than the ones I know."

"Should call them ShockStings because of the electricity on their stingers."

"That's a good idea; I think I'll use that for these things."

"What do we do know," Saria asked.

"Are there still those gigantic Moblins that were in the maze before still here?" Tristan asked.

"No, just Mad Scrubs and there's more of them."

"We're going through the maze. Stay close to me and keep the bow ready."

Holding his shield in front of him, Tristan advanced with Saria aiming an arrow over his shoulder. They indeed met many Mad Scrubs, but they were so easy to defeat that the kids made a game of it. The easiest way to defeat a Scrub was to use a shield to deflect the nuts they spit back at them. Tristan and Saria became bored with this after the first fifteen Scrubs and started an amusing game of peek-a-BYE. Tristan would deflect a Scrub's nut away from it and in its momentary confusion, Saria would pop out from behind Tristan, yell "peek-a-BYE!" and fire an arrow into the monster's mouth. One shot was all it took to kill them, and Saria soon became creative with the popping out part.

Their fun ended when they reached the stairs to the Meadow. Pulling out one of his swords, Tristan kept the shield ready and slowly advanced. The buzzing sound that had plagued them in the maze became surprisingly loud. Just as they reached the entrance to the Meadow, something very large passed in front of it. Quickly pulling Saria back, Tristan waited a few seconds to see if whatever it was would pass by again. Instead of that happening, they saw a very large monster circle the other side of the Meadow. It was a huge ShockSting. Its brilliant orange and black body fluctuated when it twisted, showing an incredible amount of muscle under its skin.

"What is THAT?!" Saria whispered.

"Must be the queen," Tala explained. "Doesn't seem to have too many week points, mainly the eyes. Those will be hard to get at Tristan."

"Not for Saria it won't," Tristan said confidently. Saria recoiled.

"ME?!"

"Yes. I'll distract it, but I need you to hit the eyes. Not until I say so, okay?"

"Um… well… I don't know. I don't think I can."

"Of course you can."

Tristan turned to look at her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. Giving a quick wink he said, "Not until I say so."

He dashed off into the Meadow and ducked under a bush just as the queen turned around. Tala had remained with Saria and, along with Saria's own fairy, they all watched as the queen passed right over Tristan and stopped. Saria notched an arrow and took a deep breath. The queen was now moving slowly around where Tristan was hiding, the feelers on its head jerking left and right. The observers could no longer see Tristan.

When the queen reached Tristan's bush, they saw a blur of green as Tristan shot out and dashed under the beast. It turned quickly, lashing out with its many legs to try and smack this pest.

Managing to roll past the electrified stinger, Tristan turned and leaped onto its back. Grabbing the hairs sticking out of the creature's back, Tristan held on tight as it tried to throw him off. Its insectile wings were beating so furiously that dust began swirling around them. Tristan began clawing his way up to the head. Saria saw him almost get thrown off several times as the giant ShockSting bucked and flung itself around.

Just as Tristan reached the head and tried to grab the feelers, the beast gave an almighty heave and flung him off. He landed up at the entrance to the Forest Temple. He wouldn't be able to get back down, for the original stairs had been destroyed a long time ago, and the Long Shot was no good with out a nearby tree. That's when an idea struck Tristan. Taking out the Long Shot, he aimed at the creature's head as it turned to face him. Letting the hook fly, he was glad to see it stick in the beast's flesh. Pulling himself up onto the queen again, Tristan managed to grab the feelers.

He pulled as hard as he could, turning the creature slowly around to face Saria.

"Aim for the mouth!" Tristan yelled as he took hold of both feelers with his left hand and pulling out his sword. "Get ready!" He swung the sword and severed the feelers. The queen ShockSting reared back, screaming in pain from a surprisingly large, beak-like mouth. Tristan fell off and shouted, "NOW!"

The arrow lodged itself in the roof of the monster's mouth, no doubt going straight into the brain. Its screaming grew louder and its tail started thrashing around violently. Saria never saw Tristan fly over them and get stuck in the hedges of the maze, jerking uncontrollably from the electricity that had coursed through his body.

The queen fell to the floor and began disintegrating. Saria walked forward and examined the monster's remains. She found the arrow and saw a small, normal wasp stuck on the end of it. _The queen was cursed?_ Saria thought. She looked around for Tristan and couldn't find him.

"Hey, guys?" she asked, addressing the fairies. "Where's Tristan?"

They soon found him unconscious in the hedge. She managed to pull him out and drag him into the Meadow. Quickly looking him over, she found a rather bad cut on his upper arm. Swiftly tearing off a piece of Tristan's shirt, she bound the cut and used her magic to remove any poison that had been in the wound.

Tristan opened his eyes to see Saria treating the cut he had received when the queen had been killed.

"Saria," he said quietly. She looked at him. "You did great! I'm proud of you!"

Her whole face went red. Smiling slightly, she nodded and turned back to the cut. Because of the shock he had received, Tristan couldn't move his arm. Using more of his shirt, Saria made a sling to keep it from simply hanging and flailing around.

When Tristan saw the wasp on the arrow, he wasn't surprised. He had felt his Triforce piece react to the dark magic emanating from the beast. Helping Tristan to his feet, Saria retrieved his sword from where it had fallen and put back in its sheath. Then, with Tristan leaning on Saria slightly to keep his balance, they left the Meadow to tell the Deku Tree what had happened.

When Tristan woke up the next day, the first thing he noticed was that Saria had spent the night with him again. He smiled to himself as he stroked her hair. Her shot yesterday against the queen ShockSting had really been remarkable. She had the smallest window of opportunity and a very small, moving target and still managed to make the shot. If it hadn't been for her, he very well could have been killed instead of wounded.

The Deku Tree had been pleased as well, and gave her Mido's position as head of the Kokiri. Mido merely sulked in his house when he found out, instead of throwing a fit like he usually did. She had been so pleased she had immediately set off to find her friends.


End file.
